Secret of the Phoenix
by FantasyBard
Summary: Mick St. John has no idea what he is getting himself into when he accepts a case to look for a missing vampire. The vampires of LA are about to find out that there are many secrets within vampire society which have been buried for centuries. And there are some who are willing to die to keep those secrets safe or kill to ensure that they are never revealed.
1. Phoniex League

Here it is! The first chapter of one of my new stories. I am always excited to be beginning a new story, but this is a special case. I am really aiming to lay some seeds in this story will really set the stage for things that are going to appear in the future. In essence, I am going to be taking Moonlight in a completely different direction than I ever thought that I would take it. I always love challenging myself as a writer, and this is going to be a big challenge. I hope that you enjoy this new saga with me.

So, on that note, here follow the usual disclaimer, rating and other miscellaneous stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight. It belongs to the writers, producers, and actors who brought it to life. I am only writing this story for the pleasure of trying to keep their creation alive, and I am making no profit from this at all.

Secret of the Phoenix is rated T, for scenes of violence, mild sensuality and questionable themes.

**For a race that lives in the shadows of night, it only makes sense that there are some secrets which have never been revealed. When Mick St. John accepts a case of locating a missing vampire for her seemingly ordinary boyfriend, he has no idea that he, Beth, Josef and Karlie are about to tread upon secrets which have been buried for centuries. **

**Things are complicated by the arrival in town of two people who can only mean trouble, and they both bear the name of Duvall. The first is Coraline, Mick's ex-wife who is determined to see just how strong his attachment to Beth is now that she has been turned. The other is her younger brother, Sebastien, a vampire with a mysterious and troubled past, who is not all that he appears to be. **

**As they attempt to navigate the sometimes confusing trail of clues which leads to dead end after dead end, our favorite vampires begin to question appearences and motives. There some secrets which should not be revealed until their proper time. Some secrets others are worth dying or killing for.**

Prologue: Phoenix League

_Beep beep beep… Beep beep beep_.

The sound of the patterned beeps broke into his sleep. He opened his eyes, the fog of sleep racing from his mind, his ears centering upon the beeps. Many untold years of training had attuned his body and senses to the point where he was always on full alert, no matter where he was. It had often been the difference between life and death.

He was lying in the bathtub of the cheap motel along the old Route 66 in California. It was an uncomfortable, dirty place. He had heard the mice and cockroaches skittering along the floor and through the walls. He wouldn't have trusted the bed if he were human, suspecting that it contained bed bugs. The tub wasn't exactly better; the last person who had stayed in the room must have been a construction worker judging by the ring of dried mud around the rim. He was certain that he emptied out of the ice machine, and the staff would no doubt be wondering where all the ice had gone. However, he was used to such things. He had lived and slept with much worse.

It was also an ideal place for the trade-off. A hotel in the middle of nowhere, and in a desert no less. A scant staff of humans who didn't seem to care what happened in their hotel rooms, so long as the bill was paid on time. No witnesses, no mess, no trouble.

Or so he had hoped. But the beeping sound coming from his laptop indicated a message from the Director of the League. She wouldn't be contacting him unless something had happened. He got up from the ice and water-filled tub, taking only a few moments to dry himself off and slip on a t-shirt and shorts. He went to the computer which was still beeping the secret code of the Director. He typed in the correct password and a moment later, the face of the Director, Susannah Larsen, appeared.

"Agent Duvall," she said, in the business-like tone that marked all of her dealings with field agents. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"With tubs like the ones they have here, it's a miracle I was sleeping at all. It's 2:00 in the afternoon here, Director. What's happened? Will the trade-off be late?"

Susanna's face was grave. "There won't be a trade-off, Duvall. The carrier was hit."

He had been dreading this, but actually hearing it confirmed was a shock. He leaned back in his chair, ran a hand over his face, and through his long black hair. "God, no, no. How?"

"We're still working on the details. But it looks like there was a car bomb planted in their last location. It happened on the main highway between that drop off point and LA. Our agents on the scene reported a very distinctive MO."

His ice blue eyes narrowed, a small growl built in his throat, "Roxanne Clairmont." He spat the name with cold hatred, as though it were some sort of terrible curse.

"I'm afraid so."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _Control yourself,_ he tried to tell himself, _focus on the case_. "How many?" he finally asked.

"Two, Harrison and Carver. They were her escorts before she would have been handed to you. However, we have found no sign at all of her ashes."

He looked up. "You mean, the witness survived?"

"Yes, we don't know how, but we were able to follow her trail to a bus station in Victorville. From there, it seems that he caught the first bus to LA."

"Where she was told to go in case things went bad." He finished.

"Yes, where you were supposed to escort her and protect her until things could be arranged. I think you know what you have to do now. You have to go and find her. If Clairmont is on this hunt, it won't be long until she finds out that the witness it alive; she won't stop until she kills her."

He sat back, lost in thought. "I don't know if I'm the right agent for this case, Director."

"Duvall, you have been in on this case since the start. This is the first chance we have in decades to bring down a dangerous and international vampire crime lord; one who holds nearly half of all the Elders in Europe in his sway, to say nothing of what his influence might be in the States. Our witness has been undercover for nearly two years gathering information about his activities. We have solid evidence in her person that can finally convince others of his guilt. You can't let your personal strife with Clairmont keep you from years of work."

"That's not what I meant, Director. LA is Josef Koston's district. He doesn't take kindly to my family name and he doesn't like the outside interference. If he even suspects that I'm there, he could bring down the entire operation."

"Than you will have to find some way to work around that, won't you?"

"Director-"

"Duvall, you are the best agent for this. The witness is skittish and damaged enough as it is. You have met her several times, and she trusts you. We put anyone else out there, she could very well cut and run. You are her only chance at survival."

He took a deep breath, and finally nodded. "I will get ready at once."

"Good. Call me as soon as you have any news of her location. Good luck."

"Yes, luck." He said, as the screen went dark, "I will be needing lots of that."

He got to his feet, and went over to his suitcase. He had learned to travel light over the years, paring everything down until he had only the bare essentials for the life he led. In the suitcase were three sets of clothing, light and durable. There were no fewer than four passports, all in different names and identities that he had assumed for his covert calling.

There was blood in the bathroom sink, kept cold by the remainder of the ice. He would be taking that with him, even though he didn't necessarily like to travel with it. Blood was difficult to transport over international borders without the proper permits. He always knew where to get blood no matter what city he was in, so it was never much of an issue.

There were only two other things in the suitcase. One was a gun, loaded with silver bullets, and more ammo to spare. The other would have been an unusual one to human eyes, and perhaps even to some vampires. It was a silver stake, beautiful and sharp as an icicle in winter. The base was wrought of dark ebony stone. Upon it, emblazoned with thin gold writing, was a most curious picture: a great bird, rising from the ashes of its own funeral pyre, its beak piercing its breast for it's young to drink. It was a duel image of vampires: they could rise eternally from death, and blood was the food for future generations.

The writing around the hilt was Latin, but written in English would have read: _From blood and death is our rebirth, in our rebirth is our eternity and service_. It was the maxim of the Phoenix League, the words which every agent of the League lived by. The silver stake was the weapon of its agents. To use one well, was a sign of greatness. And he head used his well, and often. A wooden stake would paralyze a vampire, but a stake of silver to the heart would kill. He went nowhere without it.

It would not take him long to get ready. And he got the feeling that this would be one of his most dangerous and difficult missions yet. Sebastien Duval, the second youngest of the Duvall name and field agent to the Phoenix League could only hope that this time, he would succeed.

* * *

So, a very mysterious beginning. Just what adventures lie in wait for our characters both old and new? Only time will tell. I do have a pretty good idea of what I want to do with this story, but some of the specifics I really am a little fuzzy on. I will try to keep my updates as regular as I can, though. I hope that you like this beginning. Please read and review.


	2. Unwanted Reunion

Yes, the muse has finally smiled on me. The words are flowing once more, although a little slowly. Thank you so much for your patience. I hope that this chapter makes up for the wait.

Unwanted Reunion:

Meanwhile, far away in Los Angeles and unaware of the storm which would soon be breaking, Mick St. John found himself the recipient of some bad news. Mick had been enjoying a quiet few weeks. He hadn't had that many pressing cases, so he had gotten a lot of time to spend with Beth. Josef and Karlie were out of town, Josef at a financial conference in Austria and Karlie supervising the opening of a new store in Texas. All in all, there had been no trouble. But all of that was about to change.

Carlisle had asked Mick to come and see him at his home on the outskirts of downtown LA. Carlisle Duvall was an upstanding member of the vampire community in Los Angeles. He worked in medical research at UCLA hospital, but he also moonlighted (no pun intended) as an expert in the field of vampire medicine. It had really only been in the last one hundred years that research into vampire physiology had been entirely viable. After all, research to truly understand something required money, and it was difficult to get a grant for the purpose of vampire study without potentially revealing to much where it wasn't necessary.

Carlisle had saved more than a few lives, vampires and human during his time staying in Los Angeles. Because of this, he was one of Josef's most trusted advisors. It had not always been this way. In fact, Carlisle had once been little better than a wandering nomad, constantly on the run from the suspicion of a crime which he did not commit. He was also one of a family of vampires that went by the name of Duvall, who were descended from French royalty, and were incredibly powerful. They also had a rather shady reputation amongst other vampires. They did not follow the laws of human society. They played very much by their own rules. In dealing with the Duvalls, one never really knew which side of the spectrum which they would be playing on.

Carlisle was not like that, a compassionate, wise man who cared not only for the lives of vampires, but also for those of humans. He and Mick had eventually become friends. That was why Carlisle now felt a need to impart to Mick what he had been told.

When Mick arrived, Carlisle ushered him into the living room, and when they sat down, Mick asked, "What is it that you wanted to tell me, Carlisle? You're message sounded serious and you were pretty clear that I shouldn't bring Beth along."

"I am just afraid at what her reaction to the news might be." Said Carlisle, "Though I dare say that what I have to say will not be any less welcome to you."

"What do you mean?"

"My sister called this morning. She said that she was in town."

When Mick heard this, he felt uneasiness building within it. He hadn't heard from Coralline at all in the past four years. The last time he had seen her was the night when she had given him the cure, the night when she had been taken back to France by her older brother Lance, staked and helpless to face a punishment which she seemed to terrified to imagine. "The last you had heard from her, she was being held under close security by Alexandre. What is she doing here?"

"According to what she told me, she has managed to have the restrictions on her freedom loosened. Apparently, my brother Alexandre believes that she has learned her lesson about no longer experimenting with the compound. To be perfectly honest Mick, that was all he was really concerned about. Whatever feelings she might still have for you are not his concern."

Mick let out a frustrated sigh, rose to his feet and began to pace. "Well, what is she doing here? Did she mention me?"

"She didn't mention you or Beth, though I am certain that she knows you have turned her. I don't know whether that is a good sign or a bad one." He shook his head. "I am truly sorry, Mick. I had hoped that you would have to deal with her again, but if there is anything that can be said of Coraline, it's that she was always persistent. Most often, in the things which did her no good."

"She's obsessive, Carlisle. You might as well come right and say what her behavior truly is. She's baiting me, trying to get me to come crawling back to her like I always used to. She still thinks that I have no willpower when it comes to her, that she can just snap her fingers and I'll be there again at her feet, worshipping her and hanging on her every word, while she is just waiting for the chance to walk out on me again…."

Mick stopped in the middle of his rant when he saw Carlisle's troubled expression. He suddenly realized that what he was saying must have been difficult for him to hear. He had no sympathy for Coraline, but he also knew that Carlisle was still her brother. For his sake, at least, he needed to show some restraint. It was the only decent thing to do. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't mean to say things like that in front of you."

"You are entitled to your thoughts, Mick." Said Carlisle, "And I cannot say I blame you for any of the resentment that you feel towards my sister. Do you wish me to speak to her?"

"No, this is my problem." Said Mick, "She always has been. She probably heard that Josef and Karlie aren't in town. She thought it would be a good time to try and sneak back into my life. If she makes a move, I'll be sure to tell what needs to be said."

"I hope that she will listen to you this time." said Carlisle, "For her sake, as much as yours."

Mick allowed that comment to slide. "The only thing that I wanted to ask is why you wanted to tell me this alone? Why didn't you want me to bring Beth along?"

Carlisle managed a rueful smile. "Beth has only been a vampire for two years, Mick. Her control is not yet the equal of yours. She strikes me as the kind of person who will be very protective of her mate, not to mention possessive. Considering that, along with her past history with Coraline, I had a feeling that she would go out to find Coraline and rip her head off as soon she heard it from me. Coming from you, I think these will show a little more self-control."

Mick shook his head ruefully. "I hope that you're confidence in me isn't misplaced."

* * *

Ever since becoming a vampire, Beth Turner had been continually amazed at how much her senses were now capable of picking up. Not merely in the enhanced sense of hearing, smell and sight, but also other, subtler things, such as the presence of a threat. When she got off the elevator that day on returning from coffee with one of her old human friends from Buzzwire (not that she had drunk any coffee, of course), she had immediately known, even in the hallway outside the apartment, that something was very wrong.

There was a definite smell of age in the air, of the kind that she had learned to recognize with Josef. But this was not Josef or any other vampire that she knew, at least not one that she would recognize since she became a vampire herself. This scent was not only old, it was female, and it sent a chill down her spine, for the scent alone was enough to conjure up memories that her subconscious had long ago buried, but had come racing to the fore when Mick's ex-wife had come back from the dead.

Therefore, it was almost no surprise to her when she cautiously opened the door to the apartment, and saw Coraline Duvall sitting in the living room as though she had supreme rights to the place, as though she believed herself and Mick to be back together with nothing to separate them. She looked up from the magazine she had been reading, and smiled at Beth. "Beth, I wasn't expecting to see you away from home this late in the day."

For a moment, Beth was utterly and completely speechless. She knew for a fact that Mick had had no contact with Coraline since the day when she had given him the cure. She had thought that Coraline was still in France serving out some form of punishment. Seeing her here, in Mick's apartment, was understandably unnerving. However, that reaction soon passed away, to be replaced by a feeling of suspicion and anger. "What are you doing here, Coraline?" She managed to snap out, fighting desperately to keep her inner vampire under control.

"There's no need to sound so short with me, Beth." Said Coraline, sweetly, "After all, I am practically family now that Mick has turned you."

"We are _not_ family." Said Beth, with decided determination, "And you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here and what do you want?"

Coraline laughed indulgently, as though Beth were still the child that she had attempted to kidnap all those years ago. "You make it sound as if I am planning something nefarious, Beth. I was merely passing through town and thought that I would stop by to see how you and Mick are doing. I know that he was always so concerned about turning you. I just wanted to see that he was doing a good job."

"How he is as a sire is none of your business." Snarled Beth. It was maddening, trying to control her temper, while Coraline seemed blissfully at ease. As Beth was still learning to control her heightened emotions, this latest test was proving to be an incredibly difficult one, especially without Mick's support. "I know you, Coraline. You didn't just come here to say hi. There is always some ulterior motive when it comes to you and Mick."

Coraline shook her head, as though Beth had just said something that was incredibly immature. "You don't understand, Beth. I have no desire to pursue Mick."

"Than why are you here, in Los Angeles, in his apartment, without asking for permission to come into his living room?" Beth could feel herself becoming increasingly angered by Coralline's non-answers. She wanted to protect her mate, to make it perfectly clear to Coraline that she was not getting Mick, ever.

"I am still Mick's sire, Beth. Its part of my responsibility to make sure that he is passing on what he learned from me."

"Mick didn't learn anything about being a sire from you." Growled Beth, "What he learned came from himself and Josef's influence nothing that you gave him."

At this very moment, the argument was cut short when both heard the sound of the elevator doors opening in the hallway. The familiar smell of Mick St. John followed only seconds later. The footsteps exiting the elevator paused, an indication that Mick had sensed that Coraline and Beth were in the same room together, alone, with Beth dangerously on edge and ready to leap down Coraline's throat to rip her fangs out. Naturally, this brought Mick into the room a lot faster than he normally would have. He instantly took in the situation and said, with forced calm, "Coraline, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

Beth whirled around to face him, an outraged look of disbelief flashing in her face. "You knew that Coraline was in town and you didn't even tell me?"

"Beth, I just found out from Carlisle. I was on my way back to tell you all about it. You really think that I would spring something like this on you without you being aware of it?"

Coraline watched the pair of them with almost smug satisfaction. "It's never a good sign to see arguing this early in the relationship, Mick. You should know that from personal experience."

Mick's attention moved from Beth to Coraline. A deep growl formed in his throat, and even Coraline's previous attitude faltered. "Coraline, what are you doing here?"

"As I was telling Beth, I only wanted to say hello and see how you two were doing. Nothing else. She seemed to think that I had some grand scheme for taking her away from you, but I can assure you that isn't the case. In fact, I can tell when I am not wanted. I won't take up any more of your time. Goodbye, Mick. It was good to see you again. Do watch out for Beth, I think that she might have a problem with her control."

With that last biting comment, Coraline gathered up her purse and breezed out the door without so much as a second look at either of them. Her exit caused a great deal of the tension to go down in the room, but some of it still remained. Mick immediately went over to Beth and put his arms around her. "Beth, are you all right? Coraline didn't threaten you, did she?"

Beth pushed away from him. "No, she just insulted me. She treated like an ignorant, little girl."

Mick followed after her. "Beth, I'm sorry that you had to face her like this. I swear, I only just found out myself."

Beth sighed deeply and sat down on the couch. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like I'm angry with you. I'm not. It's just that I'm so sick of the idea that Coraline thinks she can come waltzing into our lives whenever she feels like it to cause problems."

Mick sat down beside her and took one of her hands in his. "I know how you feel, Beth. Quite honestly, I would have been happy never to see Coraline again, and I do mean never."

Beth looked at him. "You think that she was serious, about not having any other plan?"

Mick shook his head. "With Coraline, I have learned that there is always something else. She may say that she is over me, but I don't believe it. There must be some reason why she came to LA. I can guarantee that she didn't come all the way over here from France just so that she could say hello."

"She must have known that neither Karlie nor Josef are in town this week." Said Beth, "That's one less level of irritation that she would have to deal with."

"Well, I for one, would like to know what she has got planned that's so secret."

Beth suddenly smiled slyly. "There's nothing saying that we can't."

Mick noticed the change in Beth's demeanor. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure that it would be easy enough to find out where she is staying. We could go over tonight and do a little discrete snooping, and see just what it is that she is up to."

Mick smiled. "Have I mentioned that I love it when you get sneaky?"

Beth's smile grew from sneaky to seductive. "Not nearly enough as you should."

* * *

So, it seems that Coraline is up to her old tricks, but are they really all that they seem to be? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out just what Coraline is up to. In the meantime, please read and review.

Next chapter: Not even Beth or Mick could have predicted Coraline's real reason for coming to Los Angeles. And we find out more about the mysterious attack which killed two League agents, and get a taste of the villain in this story. It turns out, that she has been seen before, in the City of Sin.


	3. Encounters

Yes, an update at long last. Beginnings of stories can always be a little difficult for me to get going. Hopefully, that will change as I head deeper in. But I hope this chapter makes up for the wait.

Encounters:

It was rare for Coraline Duvall to tell the entire truth. In her obviously unwanted reunion with Beth and Mick however, she had been doing just that. Well, almost. She had actually been telling the truth about having no designs on Mick St. John, but she had not been entirely truthful as to why she had been there. It was because she had wanted to see that she herself had finally moved on.

It was all because of him. She had met him in France, during what had essentially been a forced supervision by her eldest brother. Alexandre had been none to pleased with her not only taking the compound, but experimenting with it in order to try and replicate its effects, all for the slim chance that she could get back a man who was unworthy of the honor of being a vampire. He had called her behavior childish and short sighted, and until she had proved that she would not pursue her experiments with the compound, especially for the sake of Mick St. John, he had not let her out of his sight.

She had been living for the past five years in Paris. Everywhere that Alexandre had went, she had been forced to go along. It was not exactly a painful punishment, but it had been dull and repetitive. Coraline, whatever else could be said of her, had always had an active mind and spirit. She had always needed to be in charge of her own life and her own decisions. To have no say in what she could do or where she could go had been the worst punishment that Alexandre could impose.

But it had been at one of those events which her brother was attending that she had finally met the man who had set her free. His name was Benjamin Calvert. He was about four hundred years old, with intense dark looks and a voice that was entrancing to listen to. He worked in fashion design, and though he seemed to have no ambition for himself beyond that, he had spoken a great deal of influential vampire friends who he knew. Coraline was certain that it was that influence which had allowed her brother to finally ease his restrictions on her freedom.

Ever since that moment, Coraline had spent her time with Benjamin, and the spark which had been present when they first met had steadily grown stronger. Coraline did not want to speak to soon, but she believed that this was a relationship which she could live with the long term.

Of course, she had heard the rumors about the infamous seduction skills of Benjamin Calvert, that he was a heartless cad who only cared for women as a way to sait his hunger for flesh. But she refused to believe any of them. She knew that such rumors originated with the women who were jealous of the fact that they had allowed such a prize to slip through their hands.

It was he who had suggested that she finally face her past with Mick St. John and Beth Turner. She should see them face to face so that she should know that she was better than them, and could at last move on.

That was why she had come to Los Angeles and it had been an immense success.

That evening, in their hotel room, as Coraline and he were preparing to go out for a night on the town, she was telling him about her meeting with Mick and Beth a few hours earlier. "It was just like you said it would be, Benjamin. I stood in the same room with Mick and Beth, and I didn't feel anything. I finally saw that they are nothing to me."

"And they are nothing in comparison to you." said Benjamin, with a smile that was wise and adoring all at the same time. "Did I not tell you that all you had to do was face them and you would see how unworthy they are?"

Coraline smirked. "You should have seen how Beth was fuming when I egged her on. She has no control whatsoever, and Mick was almost helpless when it came to controlling her. Beth will certainly make him miserable within a few decades, and when she leaves him, he will see just how wrong he was about her."

"And what a fool he was to ever leave you. The loss will be entirely on his side."

Coraline came up to Benjamin and put her arms around his neck. "Perhaps it's all for the best. He was never good enough for me. And if he hadn't left me, I would never have met you."

Benjamin returned the smile, as he leaned his forehead against Coraline's. "And I would never have fallen under your spell. It just goes to show that good things can come of the bad decisions which we have made in the past."

"Well, I'm glad that you're one of the good things." Said Coraline.

She pressed her lips against Benjamin's, and was rewarded with an almost hungry response. His grip on her tightened, as his tongue plundered her mouth, a demand which she answered with her own show of passion. The feeling of having an equal lover at last thrilled her. Let Mick have his pathetic little fledging. Nothing would ever be able to compare with the man who was now in her arms, who she felt she could finally spend eternity with.

Benjamin finally broke the kiss, and smiled down at her. "All in good time, my dear. You go finish putting on whatever exquisite outfit you have picked out for me, I will be waiting in the bar downstairs. If we are to enjoy Los Angeles in the time we have here, we should get an early start."

Coraline pouted and stepped out of his arms. "I wish that we could stay longer. Now that I am perfectly over Mick, I could spend weeks here and not be in the least bothered. Josef wouldn't be able to say anything against me staying. It might even be fun, watching him fume helplessly."

"Yes, I too would love to see Koston discomforted. Unfortunately, my presence in this city is even now risky for me. He has expressly forbidden that I can be in Los Angeles while he is here, all because of some silly misunderstanding regarding his wife."

Coraline sniffed, her superior sense of self returning at the mention of Karlie Dashwood. "Karlie was always a little too pretentious for her own good. Imagine her leading you on and then claiming to Josef that it was all your doing. I might have expected better control of someone so much older, but after all these years, she still has him wrapped around her finger."

"Love makes fools of us all, my dear. Unless, of course, we are wise enough to not let our heads rule our hearts."

"Well, then, it's a very good thing that has never been our problem."

Benjamin smiled at her, as he went for the door, "Very true, Coraline, very true."

* * *

Coraline had thought that she could finally found a man who she could give her heart to unreservedly. However, if she thought that she would be able to tame him, she was wrong. Just as Calvert merely saw every woman as a means to an end or a quick way to satisfy his own nearly insatiable desires, so it was with Coraline. Oh, it was true; this little game of house would go on a bit longer than most of Calvert's other relationships. But he was still using her. What he felt he could eventually get out of her was worth the price of some conjugal faithfulness for now.

Like the present instance, for example. Calvert had come to Los Angeles ostensibly on business, and of course, he had come at a time when he knew that Koston would be absent. He was no fool. He knew very well that if Koston caught him in this city, even if it was nowhere near Karlie, he would not hesitate to rip Calvert's head from his shoulders. And Calvert knew that he would be lucky to get away with merely that treatment. But he had brought Coraline along, saying that she needed to face St. John, so that she would know that she was truly over him and could finally move on with her life. He had noticed some dithering about her, and that was something he did not need. If he was to get what he wanted out of her, she needed to be completely his.

He had one other real reason for coming LA, though. He had really come because he needed to meet Roxanne Clairmont. The red-haired, blue-eyed assassin was his primary link at the moment to what was happening in the latest string of events connected with his superior. He met her in the bar of the hotel; she was sitting at one of the back tables, sipping on a scotch, seemingly at perfect ease with everything and everyone around her. However, she was keeping an eye on the entire bar, noting each and every person who came in or out, sweeping the perimeter to always be completely aware of her surroundings and be ready to act.

He sat down beside her, and asked, without preamble, "Did you take care of it?"

Without looking at him, Roxanne replied, "I hit the car which was carrying the witness. I managed to get a bomb on them before their last stop, blew it up while it was crossing the desert. I didn't get the Witness, though."

"Are you certain?"

"I was able to survey the wreck before the League agents arrived. I saw the remains of two vampires, but neither of them were the build or shape of the woman we're looking for."

"That is unfortunate." Said Calvert, after a pause. "You know how anxious my superior is that the Witness does not survive to reach London. If she ends up under the protection of the League there, he will not be able to get to her."

"That won't be a problem." Said Roxanne, "I've been monitoring frequencies and transmissions by the rest of the League. The Witness was told to go to Los Angeles if anything went wrong. She will now know what to do. She will be frightened and reluctant to trust anyone, even the League agents now that this had happened. She will be easier to take down. Prey begins to make mistakes when the terror starts to control them."

"And what of the agents who they will send after her?."

"I believe that I know who it will be. Sebastien Duvall."

Calvert drew in a sharp breath. "That troublemaker. He has been trying to track down my superior for the past twenty five years. He is one of the best the League has to offer. He will no be easy to evade."

"You are forgetting that I once was his equal. We were agents together, as well as lovers. I know all of his moves, all of his strategies. Once he shows himself, I know that I will be able to handle him."

"For your sake, I hope that you are right." Said Calvert, "You know that my superior does not take kindly to bargains which get broken."

"You hired me to find and kill the Witness which the League is going to be bringing into the Conclave to testify against your sire. I have every intention of doing that. Do you think that I want to lose such a valuable employer as him? He has put me in contact with jobs than I ever would have been able to find on my own."

"What about Los Angeles? I know that you ran into a little trouble on your last job in Vegas. You allowed yourself to be seen by the Elder of this city, and the vampire who his right-hand man, Mick St. John. How do you plan to avoid them?"

"If I do my job right, they'll never see me coming. And even if I do run into them, I have plans for hiding my appearance. I'm going to put some of my old Phoenix League training to good use. The one thing which may be said for the League is that they do have some clever tactics. They could be so much more powerful if only they would put them to better use."

"Such is the danger of sentiment and conscious. They can only get in the way of progress." He rose to his feet and said, "Keep in touch. Inform me of any developments in the future."

"I will. And good luck to you with your new amour. I must say, I never thought that I would live to see the day where you would allow yourself to be tied to only one woman."

Calvert smiled, a cold, reptilian smile that was utterly heartless. "Oh, I can assure you that despite my outward appearance to fidelity, it is merely a means to an end, as is she."

So, the assassin and the libertine would part ways for the night. However, they had been so intent on the discussion of their own dark deeds, that they had not noticed someone else who caught sight of them in the crowd. Beth Turner had been scoping out the bar, trying to catch sight of Coraline. Instead, she had seen Calvert in a back booth with another woman. She did recognize him from Karlie's descriptions, and merely thought it strange that such a deadly enemy of Josef's should be staying so openly in his city. She made no connection between him and the woman. But she would remember their faces. As future events unfolded, that little detail would come to mean a great deal.

When they had arrived at the hotel where Coraline was staying Mick and Beth had split up to c

* * *

over more territory. They knew that Coraline would not be simply staying in her hotel room when she was in such a happening place as LA. She would be hitting the clubs, and looking to have a good time. If they timed it right, they just might be able to find her and follow her.

As it turned out, covert surveillance was unnecessary, for no sooner had Beth separated from Mick in order to scope put the bar, than Mick almost literally ran into his ex-wife.

Coraline actually seemed to be surprised to see him. "Mick, what are you doing here?" she stared at him for a few seconds before she suddenly understood. "You and Beth? You're spying on me?"

She actually sounded outraged, as though she was the innocent one in all this and the blame lay entirely with Mick. "Well, can you blame me Coraline? I never know what to expect when it comes to you."

"Is it not enough that I can come to a city and enjoy myself without you stalking me?"

"You were the one who came into Beth's and mine apartment. What kind if behavior do you call that?"

"I told you, Mick, I have no further use for you. I found a real man now, one who appreciates all that I have to give, unlike you."

"He has my condolences."

Coraline's nostrils flared, and she was to make a sharp and self righteous retort, when she caught sight of someone behind Mick, her entire face lit up and she said, in a voice of obvious relief, "Ben, thank goodness you're here."

Mick turned around only to be floored by who he saw coming towards them. He had never met Benjamin Calvert in person. However, he knew him by sight and by Josef's very vivid description (which had been accompanied by various swear words and some colorful names). He knew above all else that Calvert was a libertine who would never make a connection with any woman, and indeed seemed to enjoy sadistically twisting all women to his will.

But that is not what Mick saw. What he saw on Calvert's face was nothing short of intense concern. "Cora, darling I'd everything al right?"

"It will be now thy you're here. Allow me to introduce you. This is Mick St. John."

Benjamin's eyes widened in what could only be called an expression of acute surprise, and he turned an appraising glance at Mick. "So, you are the ungrateful man who rejected Coraline for no reason."

Mick stiffened. He may have moved on from Coraline, but that didn't mean that the issue of his rape-turning was a subject which would always set his inner vampire snarling. He didn't like it when someone implied that it was all his fault that nothing had worked between them. However, he was going to give Coraline the satisfaction of seeing that this Calvert man had touched him. "That's really none of your business."

"It is my business when a dangerous ex shows up at the hotel where I and my lady are staying and begins to harass for no reason whatsoever. If you don't stop, I shall be forced to call in security and have you removed from the premises."

Here, at least, Mick could have a leg up on them both. He grinned. "Actually, the owner of this hotel owes me a few favors. I told that I was following a potentially dangerous woman, and he gladly allowed me free run of the place for tonight. If you call security, he will call the cops, and I'm sure that you wouldn't want to call attention to yourself."

At this very moment, the playing field was leveled yet again. Beth had arrived, and she could clearly see that she had done so, just in time. having heard the last exchange between Mick and Calvert, she had sidled up to the two of them, and draped her arm around Mick's shoulders, giving a clear sign as to whose side she was on. "We wouldn't want that, would we? I'm sure that you planned your stay in Los Angeles to coincidence with Josef not being here, but he is sure to hear about it once he gets back. And I'm sure that he wouldn't be to happy."

Coraline was so incensed to see Beth there, that she did not notice the momentary gleam which flashed through Calvert's eyes. She didn't see the way his gaze forked over her, or the way he inhaled briefly in order to catch the scent of this new and very attractive little morsel which had just arrived. Neither did Mick or Beth notice it. They were too focused on Coraline's overt enmity to them both, to pay any attention to the far subtler and more dangerous predator which was by her side.

"Beth," said Coraline, with a sniff, "I might have known that you would have come up with an idea like this? Worried that Mick might have strayed from your side if I happened to be in town?"

"No, we both just wanted to make sure that you didn't have anymore mischief planned which would disrupt our lives. I don't know if you have noticed, Coraline, but trouble always seems to follow wherever you go."

Calvert did allow his momentary fascination of Beth to distract him from his purpose. As quickly as she had caught his interest, he buried it away. There would be another time. He could certainly wait for other opportunities to feed his appetites. Right now, he needed to be aware that there was something much more important at stake. He could satisfy himself with Coraline for awhile longer. Life with her certainly wasn't boring at least.

"The trouble, right now, is only coming from you, Miss Turner and Mr. St. John." He said, "Coraline and I were merely getting ready to go out for an evening, and you two are here accosting us."

"And just what are you doing with this guy anyway?" Mick demanded, "Do you have any idea what kind of person he is?"

Coraline looked smug. "Is that a bit of concern I'm hearing in your voice? Are you worried about me now? I can only imagine how that must make Beth feel. Who I'm with is really not any of your business anymore."

"I believe that Coraline has made her lack of interest in you both quite apparent. She has moved on, I wonder, though, if you have. I suggest that we all move on from tonight. As you have both said, it would be best to avoid any sort of unpleasant scenes."

"And how many unpleasant scenes do you think you'll be able to avoid when Josef comes back and finds out that you're here in his city?" Beth demanded.

"You can tell Josef that I was here if you so choose. Any display of childish temper he expresses will then be beyond my or Coraline's concern. We will both be gong in the next few days. Come, Coraline, my dear. Let's go before these two see fit to insult us any further."

Coraline was more than happy to oblige. She turned back to Mick and Beth with one of those simpering, sweet smiles which were always calculated to drive her enemies insane. "Goodbye, Mick, Beth. I certainly wish you luck in your relationship, you're going to need it."

Beth snarled and took a step forward, but Mick put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her from doing something that she would regret. Coraline's smile broadened, as though that were a confirmation of her entire opinion. Then, she and Calvert walked away arm in arm, every inch the happy, sophisticated and superior couple in everything from morals to control.

Neither Mick nor Beth could really say anything in response to this little encounter. Quite frankly, they just wanted to be out of there as soon as possible.

* * *

And that, I have to say, will be the last that we see of Coraline. I know, it's a little unusual to only have her in one early part of the story, but trust me it will make sense in the future. See, a lot of the stories which I have planned are part of a much larger arc, so events which seem to have little significance now, will play a pretty major part in the stories to come. And really, this is only the beginning of what I have planned for Coraline. I have always wondered what it would be like for Coraline to go though the exact same thing that she put Mick through, the lies, the hurt and ultimately, the betrayal. This is only the beginning of what is going to be a very painful awakening for Coraline. But, right now, please read and review.

Next chapter: Mick and Beth finally come to terms with what Coraline's odd behavior means for them, and begin to put their lives back on an even keel. But trouble is only just beginning, when two people arrive in Los Angeles looking for the same person, but with vastly different methods of doing so.


	4. Troubles Going and Coming

Troubles Going and Coming:

Mick and Beth got back to their apartment at around three in the morning. Beth was in something of a foul mood. Hardly a surprise, as current partner meeting ex-wife, especially when both happened to be vampires, was not exactly conducive to a relaxed frame of mind. Mick could hardly blame her. Seeing Coraline had upset the harmonious balance which they had been able to achieve so easily over the last two years that Beth had begun her immortal life. Leave it to Coraline to show up and ruin all that was right at the very worst moments.

No sooner were they in the apartment than Beth headed straight for the refrigerator to grab a glass of A Positive, hoping that it would calm her nerves. Mick hated seeing her so pensive. "Hey, Beth, you haven't said a word since we left the hotel. Talk to me. I don't want this to fester between us."

"I'm fine, Mick." Said Beth, "There's nothing to talk about. You obviously still feel some need to defend Coraline, even after all that she's done to us. You made that quite clear tonight."

"Beth, what are you talking about?"

"You tried to warn her about Calvert." Beth demanded, "Why not just let them have each other? He's just as twisted as she is. If you ask me, I think they would make a lovely couple."

Mick was unable to give a good answer to that accusation for a moment. Why had he tried to warn Coraline, who was, perhaps, the last person who deserved his sympathy? The truth was, that Mick, despite the fact that he no longer loved Coraline, could not deny the place that she had been in his life. He could not ignore the fact that she had been his first sire, and the one who had taught him to live as a vampire. For good or ill, her presence had made him who and what he was.

"Beth, I know that this is difficult for you to understand. I'm not sure that I understand it completely myself. Coraline may not be my wife or my sire anymore since Josef turned me. But I can't ignore the fact that I did love her once. You can't just forget something like that. Could you?"

Beth immediately found herself thinking of Josh, the human that she had been involved with during the time when she had first met Mick. She had been in love with him, and she had thought that she would have been happy marrying him, had Mick not been in her life. She knew that she would never be able to forget him. Though he and Coraline were worlds apart in terms of their approach to healthy relationships, she could understand Mick's frame of mind, when it came to the remembrance of an attachment formed during the fleeting years of humanity.

"I think I can understand that." Said Beth, in a softer voice than the one she had been using. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less from you. And the way you care for people is really one of the things that I fell in love with."

"Good, I'm glad that you think that." Said Mick, with a grin, "Besides, Coraline has been fairly warned, she is on her own with Calvert now."

"She might also be getting a taste of her own medicine." Said Beth, "I actually think that I saw Calvert skulking in the back of the hotel bar with a red head."

"I suppose that what Karlie said was true. Benjamin Calvert is only looking to satisfy himself. For what's worth, I do think that he was telling the truth about leaving with Coraline tomorrow night. I don't think he wants to risk running into either Josef or Karlie."

"We're going to have to tell them when they get back." Said Beth, "Even if Calvert isn't in the same city, Josef will want to tear something apart."

"We'll worry about that tomorrow." Mick moved forward, picking her up in his arms and heading for the bedroom, "Right now, I think I'm due to remind you just much you mean to me."

Beth laughed, allowing herself to forget the stresses for the last few days, and lose herself in Mick's love. "You are long overdue, which will make the experience all the sweeter."

* * *

As it turned out, Benjamin Calvert was indeed telling the truth when he said that he and Coraline would be leaving LA. Once his business was concluded, they were both on a plane headed back to England. As Mick had been discretely monitoring their movements, he was not more than a little relieved when they both boarded that plane and were gone for good. Now, perhaps, life could resume it's normality.

However in a mysterious twist of fate, no sooner had Coraline and Calvert left LA, than two new and different visitors arrived, via different modes of transportation. The first was a young African-American vampire by the name of Cameron Delano. He had flown in from Tennessee, on the very same night they had left. He was hoping to find some connection amongst the confusing clues that his girlfriend had left him before she disappeared. He needed to find her, before others did. And he knew just the person to start with.

The second person who arrived was Sebastien Duvall, riding in his car to the League safe house that the Director had guided him to. This would be his primary base while he searched for the Witness. He could only hope that he would be able to find her in time.

Mick and Beth might have thought that the trouble was over once Coraline and Calvert left. They were wrong. In truth, the trouble and the danger were only just beginning.

* * *

Two days later, Josef and Karlie returned to Los Angeles. Josef had been at a financial conference in Berlin, while Karlie had been in Texas overseeing the opening of a new branch of her clothing store in Amarillo. They had been more or less ignorant of the events which had been transpiring in LA, but all that changed when Mick and Beth were the first to meet them at the mansion when they got back.

"Oh, Karlie, look." Said Josef, as they got out of the limo. "We have our own welcoming committee. Why the personal greeting, Mick? You miss me so much you couldn't stand to have me out of your life for a week?"

"Very funny, Josef. The truth is, Beth and I have something pretty important to tell you and Karlie."

"Like what? Beth beat you at billiards, again?"

"Josef, be quiet. I think that Mick is being serious." Said Karlie.

"Well, in that case, let's go in, shall we? Nothing like coming home from a stressful conference with bad news at home."

The four of them went into the den; the sun was just starting to set, washing the room in an orange-gold haze. "So, tell me," said Josef, as Mick and Beth sat down, while he and Karlie went to pour themselves some blood from the bar to recover after their long flights. "What was so important that you couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

Mick and Beth looked at each other, a little uncertain how to say their next words. However it was said, they both knew that Josef wouldn't be taking it very well. "There was kind of an incident that took place here while you were gone." Mick began.

"Kind of an incident?" Josef repeated, as he sat down in one of the chairs opposite them, "I'm on the edge of my seat with anxiety already. Was this kind of an incident of the serious nature?"

"It could have been, but it turned out not to be."

"Mick, I get the feeling that you're trying to dance around the issue. Just spit it out, I can take it."

"I sure hope you'll remember that in a few minutes." Mick muttered.

"Mick, I heard that."

"Coraline was here." Said Beth, finally just coming to the conclusion that getting the words out would be the best approach.

Both Josef and Karlie froze. They stared at the two of them, before turning to look at each other. "Coraline?" Karlie repeated, "I thought that she was still being held in France for that whole affair with the compound."

"According to what Carlisle told me, the eldest or the Duvall's has loosened the restrictions on her freedom for recent good behavior, or something to that effect." Said Mick. "She somehow decided that showing up unannounced in my apartment would be the best way to celebrate that freedom."

"She showed up at you apartment?" said Karlie, her obvious concern escalating.

"She actually let herself into the apartment, and was waiting for me when I got there." Said Beth, who was still a little bitter about that particular even.

"Oh my god, Beth she didn't try to hurt you did she?"

"No, it was the weirdest thing. She was her usual snobby, superior self, and I felt like choking her, but she didn't threaten me or even seem to want to hurt me. In fact, she told me and Mick that she was over both of us. She said that she didn't care about Mick anymore."

"Well, we all know how accurate that assessment is." Said Josef, sarcastically, "Don't worry, Mick. My voice still carries some weight with the European vampires. I'm sure I can drop a few forceful hints that Coraline isn't welcome here, even if I can't technically ban her outright."

"Actually, you won't have to do that, Josef. And I think Coraline was telling the truth this time about being over me, at least for awhile. Besides, she's not here anymore."

"What do you mean, she's not here anymore?"

Mick shifted uncomfortably, and even Beth seemed ill at ease. This was the news which would really send Josef over the edge. He may have disliked Coraline as much as Mick, but the mention of her name didn't send him into a murderous rage. "That, uh, is the other thing we needed to tell you. Not only was Coraline here in Los Angeles, she was here with Benjamin Calvert."

The mention of Calvert's name produced the very effect which both of them had been rather dreading. Karlie's entire body stiffened and they smelled the sudden stab of terror and disgust mixed with equal proportion run through her. Karlie was normally strong and brave, but Calvert produced an effect which nothing else could. With good reason; Calvert was an old vampire, and his capacity for cold-blooded torture was just as strong as his desire for flesh. A pervert and a psychopath all rolled into one; anyone would have been scared of such a monster, and it had nothing to do with Calvert being a vampire.

With Josef, however, Calvert produced a far different reaction. He seemed to freeze, his eyes cutting towards Mick and Beth to stare at them. "Calvert? Benjamin Calvert was here, in my city?"

"Uh, yeah. That's what we getting to." Said Mick, instinctively moving closer to Beth so that he could shield her from the oncoming storm.

Josef closed his eyes, a low, rumbling growl coming from deep within his chest. His hands began to shake with a sudden and barely suppressed rage. When he opened his eyes again, they were silver, sharp and cold as ice. The sight more than unnerved Beth, who still could find such swift mood changes, espcially in older vampires, more than a little overwhelming.

"Excuse me for a moment." Josef said, his voice little more than snarl. He rose from his chair and stalked into the next room, though not before hurling the glass he had been drinking from into the far wall. The glass struck the wall with a loud crash, the blood spattering all over the place and glass shattering into dozens of pieces.

Karlie closed her eyes and shook his head. "I hate it when he gets like this. Excuse me, you two, I need to get Josef to calm down before he destroys the entire mansion. She got to her feet and went after her husband.

Beth looked at Mick questioningly. "No, we really shouldn't go after them. Karlie's the only one who can make Josef calm down when he gets like this."

* * *

Well, Josef is obviously none to pleased about this turn of events, not that I can blame him. I have to admit, part of the reason I write scenes like this is because I like seeing our favorite vampires lose their cool every once and while. Isn't that what we all love about vampires?

Also a note about a new style of updating I am thinking about. I am going to try and upload slightly shorter chapters than I normally do for a little while, just so there will not have to be as long between updates. I am not sure how long that will last for this story, but I think it is good choice for right now.

Anyway, please read and review.


	5. Womanhunt

Womanhunt:

Karlie had had a great deal of experience calming Josef down when his inner vampire became to strong for him to control. Indeed, she was one of the few who were able to even approach when he became this angry. In the case of Benjamin Calvert, she was the only one who could get him to see sense.

When she came into the room into which Josef had disappeared, she was a little relieved to find that he had no destroyed the entire den. The last time Josef had been sent into a blind rage because of Benjamin Calvert, he had torn apart two rooms in the mansion before she was able to stop him. This time, by her rough estimates, they would only have to replace an end table and a lamp. He had just picked up a ceramic sculpture from the floor and was to hurl it against the far wall, when Karlie interpose, grabbing his arm and forcing it back down.

"Josef," she ordered, "Enough."

Josef, still more vampire than human, growled and shook his head, clearly not wanting to listen to Karlie. "You are not helping matter by throwing a temper tantrum, Josef. Calvert is long gone, and anything you could do now will be utterly useless. Besides, I bought this ceramic from Harrods's in London in 1975. I am rather fond of it, and since it's one of a kind, I would hate to charge you destroying it."

Josef glared at her for several seconds, before he let go. He backed away a few steps, closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply. It was obviously a struggle for him to relax, but he managed to do it. When he opened his eyes, they were once dark brown and his fangs had retreated, but it was clear that he was still very angry.

"Now, are you ready to talk about this in a mature manner?"

"That predator, whom I have expressly forbidden to set foot in my city, has the gall and the nerve to waltz into here while I was away?" Josef growled, as he began pacing the room like a caged panther. "He was laughing at us Karlie, you and me. You honestly expect me to just accept that gracefully and turn the other cheek?"

"No, of course not. But I also expect you to remember that he is no longer here. He couldn't risk being in the same city with you here, that's why he left. I don't know about you, but of all the ways that this could have turned out, this is probably the best scenario."

Josef shot her a glance. "Perhaps your right." He conceded after a moment, "But I still don't like it." He came over to her and put his arms around her, "I don't like that monster anywhere near you, or even pretending to be so. It makes me feel like I can't even protect you here, in our own home."

Karlie smiled at him and touched his cheek with her hand. "But you do, Josef. You are better than this, better than anything that Calvert can ever give you credit for. I know that."

Josef actually was able to smile when he heard this, and though a part of him was still roiling with fury against Calvert and the menacing shadow that he always seemed to cast over their lives, he would let it slide, for now. Karlie was right; there was little he could do now that Calvert was long gone.

The sound of an embarrassed coughing from the doorway alerted them to the fact that they had an audience. "Uh, is it safe to come in?" Mick asked, as he and Beth were standing by the doorway. "We didn't hear the sound of furniture being ripped apart anymore, so we though we would chance it."

Josef finally remembered his manners. "Yes, it's all right. Come in, you two. Sorry about that… display."

"Don't worry about it." Mick said, "I know how much you hate Calvert and I can't say that I blame you. Just be glad that he is out of the picture for right now, along with Coraline."

"You're taking this recent meeting with the ex very well." Josef observed, lightly, glad to get the conversation away from himself. "I'm glad to hear that you're not jealous of her new boyfriend."

"I stopped being jealous of anything Coraline could do long ago." Said Mick, firmly, "As far as I'm concerned, Calvert is welcome to her."

"It was pretty surreal, though." Said Beth, "I mean, just to look at them, you'd think that they were the most happy, devoted couple in the world. If I didn't know both of their natures better, I could have bet on their chances."

"A relationship based upon lies and deception on both sides can never last." Said Karlie, "I wouldn't be surprised if one or both of them is caused a great deal of pain by their liaison."

"Well, either way, I don't think that they will be back." Said Mick, "They were both quite clear on that."

* * *

A short while after Mick and Beth returned to the apartment, they had another unexpected visitor. It seemed to be turning into a common occurrence over the past few days. However, this particular guest was far more welcome than Coraline, and he was a total stranger to them both.

His name was Cameron Delano. He was an African American vampire, who appeared to be slightly younger than Mick himself. He was of about medium height, thin, but obviously fit and muscular. His demeanor was thoughtful and serious, without being of a dour nature. His greeting to both Mick and Beth was of the utmost politeness, which he felt a need to explain away, saying that he had been brought up by parents and in an age which had emphasized such manners above all else. He was from Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked as an electrical engineer.

Mick invited him into the office, and the two of them sat down. "So, what may I ask brings you here, Mr. Delano?"

"Please, call me Cameron To tell the truth, Mr. St. John, I'm here because I need your help in a very serious and somewhat delicate manner. Some close, personal friends of mine suggested that I come to you, as you would know how to handle both sides of the issue."

"Who are your friends, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Clayton and Deborah Donavon, out from Las Vegas. They said that you were instrumental in bringing the murderer of the Elder of that city to justice six months ago."

"Well, technically, we were only able to catch one, but I'm glad to hear that they still think so highly of my detective skills. And I'm always happy to help anyone who is associated with my vampire friends. What seems to be your problem?"

In answer, Cameron withdrew a picture from his pocket and handed it across to Mick. Mick looked at the picture of the pretty young female vampire, dark skinned and finely featured. She was smiling in the photo, and she seemed happy. And yet, there was also just the barest hint of a deep sadness in those dark brown eyes, a look which Mick could not help but notice and sympathize with. It the sadness of one who had nothing to live for, but could not find the strength to give up. It was one he had worn himself for man years when he first became a vampire.

"Who is this? Your girlfriend?"

"Yes, that's Tasha Underwood. She is missing. And before you say anything, I can assure that this is anything but a normal case of disappearance."

"What do you mean by that?"

Cameron seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, before admitting, "I should tell you the whole story from the beginning for you to truly understand. But I would ask that you try to reserve judgment until you know everything. Some parts of what I have to say might strike you as being questionable."

"All right. Go ahead."

"Tasha, well, she's a gatherer."

Mick St. John immediately stiffened. He knew what the word gatherer meant when it referred to vampires. It referred to a position in a blood slavery ring. A gatherer was the one who went out to hunt and bring in the victims which were used in the dark trade of blood and sex. Mick had been researching different types of blood slavery ever since the incident in Las Vegas. He had wanted to be sure that he would recognize the signs should anything like that every come his way again.

However, before he could inquire as to why someone who appeared to be as moral and upright as Cameron seemed to be, he held up his hand and said, "Please, I need to explain this right. You see, I met Tasha two years ago. She was a terrified, emotional wreck. I was as skeptic as you are now about what she did for a living when I first found out about it. But, then I learned how guilt ridden her life had become. She once told me that no matter how many people she kidnapped, she always saw their faces in her dreams for nights afterwards. She was tormented by guilt to deep for words. And her handlers were no help. They treated her little better than the people which they sold for blood. She wanted to leave, but she could never find the strength to do it. It's easy to get in blood slavery, but they never let you leave if the can help it."

Mick could clearly see that Cameron meant every word of what he was saying. He himself was still a little skeptical, but there was something about this young man's conviction, the way in which his eyes burned when he described Tasha that made him want to bury those doubts and continue to listen with an open mind. To that end, he said, "Go on, there has to be more."

"There is. I won't tell you the details about our courtship, Mr. St. John. Let it be enough that we fell in love. I urged her to run away with me, to a place where we could be safe. She was reluctant at first, because she said that they would follow her. Slavers don't want any evidence that could be traced back to them. But I was determined, and she eventually agreed. The two of us began to make plans to leave Tennessee, to go to Las Vegas. I knew that Deborah and Clayton would help us, I was sure of it. That's when the strange things started to happen."

"What kind of strange things?"

"I understood Tasha's need for secrecy, but she began to be gone at hours, especially during the middle of the day, when most sensible vampires are in the freezer. I followed her a few times, something I wasn't proud of, but I was worried that she was being threatened by the slavers and she didn't want to tell me. I found out that she was meeting some guy who I didn't recognize."

"Was he one of the slavers?"

"No, I don't know who he was. Tasha didn't seem to be afraid of him at all. In fact, she almost always seemed relieved to see him, as much as she often was to see me. But there was also nothing romantic either. The meetings took place in the middle of the afternoon in crowded human places. They clearly didn't want to be discovered. I never could figure out if it was me they wanted to hide from or the slavers.

"I was able to get close enough to hear what they were saying once. I heard the man tell Tasha that she had to leave Tennessee if she was to survive. Tasha replied that she was almost ready to tell me the entire truth. But he was urging her, quite earnestly that she had to leave, or she would almost certainly be killed. He said that it was too dangerous to involve me. He said it would be better to just leave me.

"I was never able to ask her about it. The next morning, I went to her apartment to confront her about it, but I found it in shambles. Someone had broken the front door in, and there were signs of a struggle. It was brutal, from what I could tell, and it ended with shots being fired into the wall. They were silver, so they must have known that she was a vampire."

"When was this?"

"It was three days ago. But there is more. I got a call from her the day after the attack. She sounded tired and anxious. She could only say that she was safe and headed to LA, but that she couldn't tell me anymore. If I came out here, she would eventually be able to tell me everything. But this morning, I went to the place where she said she would meet me, and she never showed up. It was at this point that I decided that I needed to bring in some outside help. That's why I've come to you. Will you help me find Tasha?"

Mick sat in silence for a few minutes after Cameron had finished telling his story. "This is a lot to take in, Cameron." He said, at last, "It's not often that I get cases that are potentially this severe, from a vampire or anyone else for that matter."

"I know that it's unusual Mick. I'm not condoning anything that Tasha did in the past, neither does she. But she deserves a second chance and I have to make sure that she's safe so that she can have it."

Mick looked hard at Cameron. His detective and vampire sense were at work, as he tried to determine just what exactly he was aiming at. The thing which struck him about Cameron was just how earnest he was about this entire thing. He truly seemed to believe what he was telling Mick. Plus, this might be a good opportunity to get some more in-depth information about blood slavery.

"All right, Cameron. I'll see what I can do."

Cameron smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Mick. That means a lot to me."

"Now, can you tell me if she has any family here? Friends, anyone that she could stay with?"

"Not that I know of. She's been very tight-lipped about her past ever since I met her." A thought seemed to occur to him. "Wait, when I overheard her talking to that guy, he told her that if she changed her mind at all, than Los Angeles was supposed to be some sort of transfer point."

"A transfer point? To where?"

"He didn't say, but I could overhear from his tone that it sounded important. He said something about a safehouse, too, in the western neighborhoods of Los Angeles."

"That's the second time you've mentioned this mystery person. Do you think he could be responsible for Tasha's disappearance?"

"The thought has occurred to me. I know that Tasha wasn't lying when she said she wanted to leave that life behind her, but I just wonder if there was more danger for her than I at first thought. I don't know if that guy could have been sent to lure her to a terrible fate."

"Would you be able to give me a description?"

"I might be able to do more than that. I could give you a sketch. I'll never forget his face. I would be able to recognize him again if I saw him. Plus, I heard Tasha call him Stephen Dorsey."

"If you can give me that sketch I might be able to search for his face in the system. I'll also look to see if anyone by that name has had any activity in the city or Nashville recently."

"I'll go and get started on that sketch right away." said Cameron, "Thank you again for all your help. I wasn't sure if you would even consider it after you heard the full story."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, I speak from experience. And I'm always glad to help out the friend of a friend."

Cameron smiled, as he rose to his feet and headed for the door. "I'll be sure to mention that the next time I speak to Clayton and Deborah."

Mick waited for Cameron to exit his office and then took a deep breath. Somehow, he figured that this case was getting to be a little challenging, and he suspected bordering on the dark side of vampire life. Despite his confidence in his own abilities, his knowledge of that underworld was not as up to date as he would like. That meant that there was only one person he could turn to who might have that information, and he felt that he might have a right to know that Mick was searching for someone who might have connections to blood slavery.

He picked up the phone and called the number. "Hello, Josef, I need to talk to you about something. It's important."

"Really? What's it about?"

"I really would prefer not to say over the phone. It's personal."

"I'll swing by in fifteen. I have to go see Carlisle; we can talk on the way."

"You're not going to blame Carlisle for Coraline and Calvert being here, are you? You know that wasn't his fault."

"I know that, I just want to be sure that he knows he has my full permission in the future to hold Calvert in the future. I almost wish he had. It would have been so satisfying to take off that bastard's head."

"After you had mangled and tortured him to the best of your ability. Yeah, I've heard it all before, Josef. Well, put that out of your mind. What I have to say to you just might take your mind off of all your problems with Calvert."

* * *

So, the main part of the mystery has been set into motion. It will soon become apparent that Mick and Cameron are not the only ones who want to find Tasha. What twists and turns are yet to be experienced can only be guessed at. Please read and review.

Next chapter: Mick and Josef pay Carlilse a little visit, only to meet yet another member of the Duvall clan. However, is Sebastien really all that he appears to be, or does he have secrets of his own?


	6. First Imjpressions

First Impressions:

True to his word, Josef arrived at Mick's apartment in less than fifteen minutes. And just as Mick had suspected from the start, when he told him about the current case which he had just taken, his friend was deeply skeptical.

"So, let me get this straight. This young vamp shows up at your door, gives you some sob story about how his missing girlfriend is a former gatherer working in a blood slavery ring. She ends up missing, and he seems to think that the most logical explanation to this is to hire a private investigator. Am I right?"

"Josef, you're being a tad cynical about this, even more than usual. Can't you try to keep an open mind about this?"

Josef shook his head. "Sorry to sound so harsh, Mick. But when you're as old as I am, when you've seen as many vampires involved with blood slavery rings as I have, it's hard to be optimistic about their chances of reforming."

Mick looked at Josef. "Just how many blood slavery rings have you seen? I was under the impression in Las Vegas that it was the first time you have ever tangled with one."

"I try not to dwell on the darker times I've seen in my centuries, Mick." Said Josef, after a pause, "Just believe me when I say that I have seen a lot more of blood slavery rings than you have; it's an example of what happens when our predatory nature starts to dominate our thinking, instead of finding a balance with the instincts that are still human."

Mick didn't normally hear Josef speak like this. It reminded him that his friend was indeed much older and more experienced in the subtleties of vampire politics than he was. However, he still didn't share Josef's sense of cynicism when it came to matters such as this. Quite frankly, he hoped that he never did.

However, that was a conversation for another time. "I think that Cameron is sincere, Josef. Even if this Tasha Underwood isn't honest in herself, at the very least he'll come away knowing that. However, I also think that he was right about her."

Josef put up one hand, "I'm not going to say anything more about it, Mick. If there is something like blood slavery coming into my city, than I want to be aware of it. Bring this kid by the mansion, I wouldn't mind meeting him."

"Do you want to meet him or intimidate him?"

"Maybe a little bit of both."

"Josef, he is my client, I'm not going to have you frighten him."

"I'll be gentle, Mick, I promise. And if Karlie is there she'll force me to be on my best behavior. Being the hopeless romantic that she is, I'm sure that she'll be supportive of Cameron's efforts."

"Fine, I'll do that tomorrow evening."

At this point, the two of them had arrived at Carlisle's house. They got out of the Ferrari and headed for the door. They were fairly certain that Carlisle had heard the car pulling up to the house, and they were proven right when he opened the door without them knocking. He looked a little on edge, no doubt expecting that Josef was about to jump down his throat for allowing Coraline into Los Angeles.

"Now, Josef, before you say anything, I want you to know that I had no idea that Coraline was even in Los Angeles until it was too late." Carlisle began almost at once. However, Josef cut him off with a smirk.

"Take it easy, Carlisle. I'm not here to bite your head off."

Carlisle looked at him. "You're not? I thought for sure you would want to cause me some sort of bodily harm, especially when I found out that she was in the company of Benjamin Calvert."

"It's not your fault, Carlisle. Those two feel that they can flout the rules no matter where they are. Together, they must be nearly impossible to control. I do not blame you."

"That is incredibly generous of you, Josef. I appreciate it. However, there is one other thing that I have to tell you."

"Oh, what?"

Before Carlisle could fully answer, another voice spoke up from the other room. "Carlisle, do you have visitors?"

The next moment, a tall, dark-haired vampire appeared in the doorway. It was clear from a glance that he was a member of the Duvall clan, but he was not one that Josef or Mick recognized. Besides the height and dark hair, which seemed to be a staple amongst the Duvalls, he also possessed piercing blue eyes, which held a lazy, condescending look in them.

"Josef, Mick, this is my brother, Sebastien."

"Your brother?" said Josef, suddenly a little suspicious as to the fact that another Duvall had shown up so recently after the appearance of Coraline. Carlisle had earned his respect; however, he was an exception to the rule. He wasn't ready to give another of his name so ready a welcome.

"Yes, I'm Carlisle's brother." Said Sebastien, who seemed to look over Josef and Mick and dismiss them as beneath him with a glance. "I suppose that I shouldn't expect a warm welcome from you, but I can assure that you're not worth my time."

"Sebastien." Said Carlisle, with exasperation.

Sebastien did not seem to hear him, before turning to Mick, and saying, "So, you're the one who my sister turned all those years ago. I can't say that I'm impressed."

Both Mick and Josef looked at each other in slight puzzlement. From any other Duvall, such blatant disrespect would have been fighting words. And yet, this time, it seemed a little different. Not even the most senior of the Duvalls would have dared to insult Josef Koston in his own territory, not unless they were truly itching for a fight. And Sebastien did not seem like he wanted to fight. Indeed, there was nothing of the fighter about him, and both Mick and Josef wondered if he would have been able to defend himself if he even tried.

Instead, for Sebastien, it seemed as though he truly believed what he said. To him, he seemed to believe that he was just superior to everyone else in the room, besides his brother perhaps. They would not have been surprised if Sebastien's bluster might not cover a streak of cowardice.

Be that as it may, Sebastien seemed to be an arrogant jerk, but he seemed harmless enough. "What brings you to Los Angeles?' Josef asked, "I think as the Elder of this city, I can at least ask that."

Sebastien shrugged. "I was passing through on my way from a concert in San Francisco; I thought that I would pay my brother and his bride a visit."

"A concert?" Josef questioned.

"Sebastien is a concert pianist." Carlisle explained, "He has been on a tour of Italy recently. But now, his path has brought him to the United States."

"Ah, well, just stay out of trouble." Said Josef, "And I think we'll be able to get along."

"We'll get along just fine, Mr. Koston, because I don't intend to ever encounter you again. Either way, it was lovely meeting you. Now, if you'll excuse me."

With that he disappeared into the other room. The next moment, the strains of a concerto by Tchaikovsky was heard drifting through the room. Carlisle shook his head. "I must apologize for my brother. He is harmless, so far as I know, but he is also very proud. I hope that he didn't give to much offense."

"I've seen vamps like him in my day." Said Josef, "All bluster and no substance to back it up. It's best to just ignore them. Just remember that he's your responsibility."

"I'll remember that." Said Carlisle.

"I think we're good here, then." Said Mick, "Now that Josef has given you the power to bring Calvert under your control should he ever show up here again."

"And preferably, holding him in very painful circumstances. What I wouldn't give to have him under my control for only a few hours."

"But you don't, so I would remind you of what Karlie said."

"Doesn't mean that I can't fantasize." Said Josef. "Besides, it's a while lot better than you clinging to that illusion that girl you're looking for is going to be anything other than trouble."

"What is this?" Carlisle asked.

"Mick is trying to find a supposedly ex-gatherer for a client." Said Josef, without much sympathy.

"Josef, it's not like that." He turned to Carlisle, "A young vampire named Cameron just showed up at my office this evening. He says he's trying to find a girlfriend, a reformed gatherer from a slave ring out in Tennessee. Josef has been less than supportive."

"I can't tell you who to take on as clients, Mick. It just seems to me that using the word reformed in the same sentence as someone who is involved with blood slavery is simply absurd."

"So, you're saying that anyone who has been involved with blood slavery cannot ever possibly be reformed?" questioned Carlisle.

"I'm saying that I have yet to see someone who tasted that life and could get away from it." Said Josef, "Blood slavery is outlawed not just it is a cruel practice, but because it's addictive. A vampire in blood slavery can slowly lose all sense of control, they indulge their predatory instincts to the point where that is all that controls them. We all know what happens to vampires when that occurs. It's actually encouraged in blood slavery circles."

This led to a debate between the three vampires on the subject, one that was so absorbing that they didn't even consider that they had an audience. In the next room, the piano continued to play the impassioned notes of a concerto by Tchaikovsky; Sebastien never missed a single note or beat, however, he could still hear what was going on in the other room. Had they known he was listening, perhaps Josef, Mick or Carlisle would think that he would not care, seeing as to what his behavior had been just a few minutes ago. But they would have been wrong.

Sebastien heard enough to make him worried. So, Tasha's boyfriend had not been so easy to forget her or think the worst of her. Ordinarily, he might have admired such belief of one who was in love with a former gatherer, but right now, it put him on edge. It would be merely one more obstacle that he would have to navigate, and already there were too many of those for his liking. His rival was already in this city, he was certain of it. Roxanne would not be giving up the hunt anymore than he would. And now, this Private Investigator, this Mick St. John, appeared to be on the same case. That would have to be taken care of as well. He bore Mick no grudge for himself. Coralline's romantic misadventures were no interest to him. But he could now wish that Mick had not shown up just now. Both he and Tasha's boyfriend were mixing with things that were beyond them.

He had sworn to protect Tasha. The only way he could do that was by fining her first. That being the case, he would have to go around the laws of ordinary vampires. He never enjoyed using the status as a League agent that gave him immunity. But this time, he knew that it was necessary.

The other three vampires were still engrossed in their discussion, and they did not notice when the music seemed to let up in it's intensity for just a few seconds. This was because Sebastien had just taken something from his pocket, a small rectangular device that looked a cell phone. He surreptitiously typed in a few commands on the keypad, and on the screen, there showed three different numbers for the other cell phones in the room. It was simple enough for him to pick out which number belonged to the cell phone of Mick St. John and then to copy it to the device. In little less than five minutes, he had acquired a way for him to monitor all the calls which Mick would get, including the ones that Mick would get about Tasha. It was the one way that he would be able to have an edge.

Josef and Mick left shortly thereafter, their conversation apparently having had no effect in changing their separate opinions about the issues which surrounded Mick's current case. Neither of them bothered to say goodbye to Sebastien, as he was still absorbed in the music he was playing, plus, they highly doubted that he would care whether they said goodbye to him or not.

For Carlisle, it was really no surprise. His brother had quite often been something of an enigma to him. Though he possessed none of the malice or insanity which had ultimately cost his youngest brother Henri his life, Sebastien was still moody and difficult to get along with. He had always preferred his own company to that of other people. Carlisle had never been able to tell if he could be said to care for humans, or if he merely saw them as a means to an end, as did most others of his family. He sometimes thought that Sebastien was merely looking out for himself.

And yet, there were moments when Carlisle was able to catch sight of an intense, almost brilliant personality beneath the mask which his brother posed to the world. It sometimes made him wonder just what Sebastien might be able to give to the world if he ever tried.

Carlisle was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Sebastian's voice. The piano evidently held no further interest in him, and his tone was that same rather bored, disinterested tone. "So, that is the vampire who my sister has been so obsessed over these last few decades. Quite honestly, I am surprised. I have always questioned her taste in men, but I could have thought that she would have done better."

Carlisle merely shook his head. "Mick is a good man, Sebastien. He has become a very good friend to me."

"I'm sure that he's all right in himself, he just seems unnaturally boring. What does he even do, if I might ask?"

"He's a private investigator, Sebastien."

"Oh, private Investigator, do-gooder, than I take it."

"You don't need to sound so self-important about it, Sebastien. Mick is very good at what he does. He is doggedly persistent and would also sacrifice his life to ensure the safety of his clients, even if those clients are human."

Sebastien shook his head and shrugged. "Well, if that is how he wishes to spend his eternity so be it. I am glad that he and Coraline broke up. I highly doubt that with his conscious and her empty-headed pursuit for whatever strikes her fancy, they would have brought each other anything but heartbreak."

"I'm afraid that they already did." Said Carlisle, but thought it best not to speak of that.

It would be a few hours later that Sebastien took leave of his brother. He had gotten some valuable information out of Carlisle about whom this Mick St. John was and what sort of challenge he would present to his investigation. The way he had described made it clear that he would have his work cut out for him.

He returned to the safe house and contacted the Director of the League to give her an update. "Agent Duvall," said Susanna, "What do you have to report?"

"I arrived in Los Angeles last night, Director. The safe house is in good order, and I should begin my search for the Witness tomorrow."

Susanna quirked half a smile. "I shan't ask how you plan on starting, Duvall. You always have a talent for finding the people who don't want to be found. What about Koston, will there be any difficulty there."

"He is under the impression that I am here to visit my brother and his wife. I cannot say that they were all that thrilled to see me, but I played the expected part of the Duvall snob, and I have them convinced that I'm not someone he needs to worry about. It should buy me some time."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. The last thing I want to do is antagonize Koston. His sire could very well be of importance when the Conclave is called in Europe. We can't depend on that support if his son is against us." She looked closely at Sebastien. "Duvall, what is it that you are not telling me?"

Sebastien drew in a deep breath. "We may have a problem. Koston's right hand man, Mick St. John, is also looking for the witness."

"What? Why?"

"I overheard him talking with Koston and my brother. He's a Private Investigator and a very talented one if my brother's word is anything to go by. He's taken on the task of trying to find her by Tasha's boyfriend."

"You did tell Tasha that until she was safe, she couldn't tell anyone what she was doing or where she was going?"

"I thought that I made it perfectly clear. But she must have been closer to him than even I thought. When she disappeared, he's set his mind on finding her. She must have set his mind on finding her. She must have also gotten a message to him; otherwise, he wouldn't have known where to look."

"Well, than I suppose that you will have to make sure that St. John does not find her."

"I wish t were as simple as you make it out to be."

"Duvall, this mission is of the utmost importance. We can't risk outside interference. I'm sure that this St. John's motives are pure enough, but there are too many things at stake."

"I understand, Director." Said Sebastien, "St. John won't be a problem. I will see to that myself."

"I'm certain that you will. Good luck, Duvall. You have already made a good start."

As the connection was cut off by the Director, Sebastien sighed deeply and sat back in his seat. This was starting to become more complicated than he had anticipated. He had no wish to cause trouble is LA. Indeed, causing trouble was the last thing on his mind. He just wanted to get in and out quietly. But it seemed that that was not meant to be. If that was the case, he would have no choice. His first priority was to the Witness. No matter what else he had to do to keep her safe, he would keep that uppermost in his mind.

* * *

It is always rather dangerous to judge someone exclusively on first impressions, isn't it? In this case, it seems that our favorite boys might have gotten the wrong idea about just what Sebastien is capable of. It will be interesting to see how things play out. Please read and review.

One thing I have wanted to say about this story is that it might be a bit shorter than some my others have been. I have been going over several drafts, and it just feels right to bring this story about in an intense and exciting way, the art of telling a story in a few words, I suppose. This story is mainly meant to plant a lot of seeds for this new arc which I am planning, so I don't really want to overload too much. Plus, it turns out that Moonlight Over Paradise is turning out to be the longer of these two stories, and I want to be able to focus on that more. Therefore, think of Secret of The Phoenix as a roller coaster ride, short, intense, but with hopefully a few unexpected twists and turns, and there will be plenty of those, I can assure you.

Next chapter: Cameron meets the some of the more important vampire personages in the city, and receives a call from the very person he came to find. We are about to get a hint of what goes on inside the head of a former gatherer, a woman who has lived her life constantly on the run, for years.


	7. Introductions

Sorry for the delay. I was all set to set up this story, but then I hit the wrong button and deleted the chapter, so I had to redo it all over again. GRRR! Sometimes technology really isn't worth it. Still, I hope that it will be worth the wait.

Also, some astute people might notice that there appear to be a few descprencies when it comes to vampire mythology. However, they are not necessarily mistakes. I am planting seeds for the big twist later in the story. I had to lay a few hints to whet the appetite. Enjoy!

Introductions:

Cameron had been aware of the fact that if he came to Los Angeles trying to find Tasha, he would eventually have to cross paths with Josef Koston. The notorious Elder of the city would no doubt want to know why he was trying to find a blood slaver, even a former one. Even if he had not heard a lot from Deborah and Clayton Donavon, he had heard a great deal about Josef from his own reputation. He didn't really think the Josef would try to kill him, but he wouldn't put it past him to try some sort of intimidation.

Therefore, he didn't really know what to expect when he walked into the Koston mansion along with Beth and Mick that evening. Luckily, perhaps for him, the first one that he met was not Josef, but his wife, Karlie. She came to meet them in the foyer when the three of them came into the room.

"Good evening, Beth, Mick." She said to them, with a welcoming smile, "It's so good to see you." she turned a friendly smile on Cameron, "And you must be Cameron Delano. Welcome."

"Thank you." said Cameron, being unable to do anything other than smile back at her.

"Just so you are aware, I already know everything about your story, and I am completely on your side. My husband will come around, just leave him to me. Don't let him frighten you."

"Are you talking about me behind my back without even going me a chance to defend myself?" Said Josef, as he came into the room.

"I'm just letting him know that he has more allies in the room than he thinks." Said Karlie.

"And who says that I'm his enemy?" said Josef.

"That's certainly a reassuring introduction, Josef." Said Karlie, "Be polite, you promised to behave."

"Within reason." Said Josef. He finally turned to Cameron and said, "Hi, nice to meet you, Cameron. Josef Koston. I've heard quite a lot about you."

"I'm sure that you have, I've heard a lot about you, from several sources."

"Good, I would be devastated if everyone in the world forgot about me."

Karlie rolled her eyes, and led them into the living room. "Mick has already told us a great deal of your story." She said, as she poured them all some blood. "I know that you must be tired of retlling it over and over, but it might put my husband a bit more at ease to hear it in your own words."

Cameron obliged, knowing it was his best way to get Josef on his side. He was not necessarily an eloquent speaker, but his way with words was honest and straight forward. Even Josef was impressed, though he would not have admitted, and he didn't interrupt with any of his usual sarcastic quips.

However, he was still not entirely convinced. When Cameron finished his story, he said, "Nice story, Cameron. Has all the makings of a tragic, romantic disaster. I hate to say it, but it might turn out to be more of a disaster for you."

"I am afraid that my husband doesn't believe in the redemptive power of love in these circumstances." Said Karlie, with an encouraging smile at Cameron. "I would apologize for his behavior, but I suppose that if you came here, you must have known what you would be getting."

"I like to hear that people remember my reputation." Said Josef, "It means that they know they shouldn't try and cross me."

"Is that why you think I'm here, Mr. Koston?" Cameroon asked, "To try and cross you, because I can assure you that it's not."

"You might not," conceded Josef. "However, I naturally would have questions for someone who is trying to find a person so closely connected with a blood slavery ring in my city."

Cameron sighed. "I already explained this to Mick, Mr. Koston. Tasha doesn't want to be part of that life anymore. She was willing to give it up, despite the danger."

"I see, then why did she run away? Why wasn't she willing to tell you what was going on? Take my advice, Mr. Delano, and don't dig yourself a shallow grave. I can tell you that a vampire can never truly give up the life of a blood slaver. Once they yield to those baser instincts, once they taste the wealth it brings, they can never go back."

Karlie glanced at Josef, clearly disapproving her husband's choice of words, but Cameron surprised them all when he said, "You're wrong, Mr. Koston." His voice was soft, but firm. It took a vampire with some guts to defy Josef, let alone one who was a stranger and so much younger than he was. Even more difficult was to be able to do without offense. And yet, somehow, Cameron was able to do it.

"I know that Tasha was responsible for terrible things. She herself doesn't deny it. But she never received any of the benefits that her handlers got. They only give their workers the barest hint of a living. She used to say that the only way her life was better than that of one of the slaves was that she wasn't bartered against her will. You're wrong, Mr. Koston, to assume that everyone involved in blood slavery is beyond redemption. I don't know why she ran, or what was keeping her from me, but I know that she must have had a reason. You'll understand yourself when you meet her."

For a moment, everyone in the room was too stunned to speak. But suddenly, Josef smirked. "You know, I think I like you, kid. You're got spunk, something that seems to be sorely lacking in vamps nowadays, particularly the younger ones."

"I thought you were always complaining that the younger generation had no respect." Mick pointed out.

"When I say that, I am referring to you more than anyone else. But Beth, I like her because she doesn't take any crap from people, she's not afraid to say what she means."

"I do believe that's the nicest thing you're ever said to me." Said Beth, with smirk. "You should be careful, Josef, go around paying complements like that to people and they might think that you're going soft."

"That's all right, Beth. Josef only needs to bite off a few heads in a board meeting for his fearsome reputation to be preserved."

"But, you have convinced me, Cameron." Said Josef, "At least you believe that your friend I worth saving. We'll see what the future brings. It does help that you have Clayton and Deborah to back you up."

"Oh, yeah." Said Cameron, "It's because of their recommendation that I'm here, really. When I told them about my problem, they said that Mick would be the best person to help."

"Don't worry about it. Mick's the best detective I know. He could find anything or anyone in record time."

"What is this? Am I actually hearing a genuine compliment from you?" sad Mick, in mock astonishment.

"Don't let it go to your head, Mick. What have you been able to find so far, anyway? I imagine if there are people chasing this girl like you say, she will have done a pretty good job of covering her tracks."

"So far, I have to admit that I haven't had much luck. I tracked her cell phone to a motel this morning, but she had already checked out. Our best hope is for her to contact Cameron again. I have a feeling that she will if she knows that he is in town and he is the only one who she feels safe with."

"You have told us a lot about Tasha." Said Beth, "What about you? What's your story?"

Cameron shook his head and gave a rueful smile. "Something of a dull story, I'm afraid. I really don't have that much of a dramatic story. The only thing special about me is that I really don't remember much of my life as a human before I became a vampire. My turning wasn't violent or traumatic, though."

"So, you don't remember anything? Do you remember who your sire was?"

Cameron shook his head. "No, I really don't. I can't really explain it. I've tried many times, but the words just can't describe it. The closest that I have ever been able to describe it is that I sometimes feel that I was born to be a vampire. It's just who I was meant to be."

It was kind of a stunning admission to be heard from one who was so young. Even Beth, who had more or less chosen this life and was happy, could still sometimes suffer from pangs of missed humanity. It took sometimes more than a hundred years to become fully acclimated to the way of life as a vampire. Hearing it so definitively from someone like Cameron, in a way, made them all respect him even more.

It would be little more than an hour later that the three of them left Karlie and Josef. Once they were alone, Karlie turned to her husband with a smile. "Well, did he gain your approval?"

"Against all odds, I find that he did. He is, at least, sincere in thinking that he is saving his lady fair from the forces of evil. If he actually manages to do it, than I will be even more impressed."

"I am sure that he will." Said Karlie, firmly, "It seems to me that Cameron is the sort of man who pursues something wholeheartedly once he sets his mind on it."

"Karlie, in all seriousness, did you not notice something slightly strange about Cameron?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not saying this because I'm being my usual paranoid self. And it was so slight at times, I might be imagining it. But he didn't smell right. In terms of age, he should smell similar to Mick, but he didn't. He smelled… I don't know, at times vaguely human. It was though there were some remnants of the human wrapped up with the human."

"Well, all vampires were human once."

"But all scent of humanity vanishes with the turning." He shook his head. "It's probably nothing. I just wanted to mention it."

Karlie shrugged. "Whatever it may or may not be, we shouldn't let it judge him aversely. I for one, hope that he will find all that he is looking for before he leaves Los Angeles."

Josef agrees to this with a nod. But he wasn't quite willing to let this go. He didn't wish Cameron any ill will, but he still needed to know if there was something that Cameron was supposed to be hiding. Privately, he made a note to do a little checking up on Mick's new client, just so he had the whole story.

* * *

By the time Cameron got back to his hotel room, he was ready to call it a night. E had never thought that it could be so exhausting to just be stuck waiting. The last few days had been an agony for him, not knowing for certain where Tasha was, or even if she was still alive. He just wanted some sort of definite answer, so that he could actually do something. He was certain, that with the help of the people he might be starting to tentatively call his friends, he would be able to help Tasha.

H couldn't help but smile a little as he thought back on his meeting with Josef and Karlie. He had been a little intimated by Koston, as he supposed any sane vampire would have been, but he also sensed that he and his wife were the good people that Deborah and Clayton had described them as. He knew that Koston had every right to be skeptical of his quest. Cameron didn't know why or how he had been fated to fall in love with a former gatherer; all he knew was that Tasha had been someone into his life that he could depend on, someone he could protect and love. He hoped, someday, to let her in on all of his own secrets.

And there were secrets in his life, secrets that he couldn't even tell Mick or any of the others. He knew that he needed to be careful around them. If he didn't hide the signs of who he really was, than they might really start to ask questions. He had gotten good at dodging such questions with shades of truth, so that no vampire would sense that he was lying, but it somehow didn't feel right to do it with Mick.

Cameron was brought out of his thoughts by the ringing of his cell phone. "Hello?" he answered.

"Cameron, it's me."

Cameron immediately leaped to his feet, the voice on the other end of the phone thrilling with the promise of hope and sharp bite of fear all at the same time. "Tasha, Tasha where are you? Are you all right?"

Tasha's voice was the sweetest music to him that he had heard in awhile. She still sounded afraid and exhausted. But she didn't sound as utterly panicked as she had only a few days. "Cameron, I'm sorry that I didn't show up the other day. I meant to, but I just couldn't. I'm being followed, Cameron. I don't know by how many, but there are a lot of them, I'm sure of it."

"Tasha, calm down. It's all right. I'm here. Listen, I've brought someone in, a private investigator. We can trust him to help us."

"Are you sure?" Tasha's voice sounded small and uncertain. She had never experienced anyone who wanted to willingly help her, at least none who would not want something in return. As far as Cameron knew, he was the first soul that she had ever fully trusted.

"Yes, Tasha. I'm sure. I trust him, you trust me. Neither of us can make this work alone. Tash, do you have plan, somewhere that I can meet you?"

After a moment Tasha admitted, 'Yes, the Coffee House on Oak Park Drive and 31st. Tomorrow, at 10:00am."

"I'll be there, I promise."

"I know you will. Cameron, I promise to tell you everything."

"Tash, you don't-"

"Yes, I do, Cameron. There are so many things that I should have told you, but I couldn't. Now, I know that I have to."

"All right, if you want. But first, let me get you to safety. I love you, Tasha."

"I-I love you too, Cameron. See you soon."

"Yeah, see you." Cameron hung up. He could feel his heart rate accelerating, the blood pumping excitedly through his veins. A wave of pure emotion raced through him. He allowed himself to feel the full force of that joy, before quickly dialing Mick's phone. "Mick, listen, you were right. I heard from her."

"Tasha? That's great. Did she say anything about meeting you?"

"Yes, tomorrow at 10:00. A place called the Coffee House on Oak Park Drive and 31st."

"All right, I think it best if Beth and I go with you. You might need someone to watch your back if she's still being followed."

"She sure sounded like she thought that. It sounds pretty serious, Mick. You and Beth might want to keep your distance until I can reassure her."

"Fine. But we'll also be on the lookout. If she is being followed, maybe we can get some surveillance. See if we can get an ID. See you tomorrow at 9:00, all right?"

"I'll be there, and Mick, thank you."

"Of course, Cameron. My pleasure."

The plan was set. But neither Mick nor Cameron could have known that their plan had been overheard. And that despite all of their best efforts, sometimes even the most well laid plans are no way to prevent someone from destroying them.

* * *

So, Tasha has finally made contact. But in calling Mick, Cameron just might have given away a few secrets. One thing is for sure: You can bet that the meeting will not be going completely according to plan. Please read and review.

Next chapter: The meeting at the Coffee House is set, but an old rivalry is about to strike anew, when a bounty hunter and an agent each set their sights on Tasha. But which one just might be on the side of our heroes, and which is a danger to everything they hold dear.


	8. Ruined Rendezvous

Just to clear up any sort of confusion, in this chapter, when we meet Tasha for the first time, she refers to Sebastien Duvall as Stephen Dorsey. The reason for that is because that is the only name she knows him by, as we will be finding out in later chapters. Now, on with the rendezvous.

Ruined Rendezvous:

The next day, at the appointed time, Mick and Beth were waiting on opposite sides of the street of The Coffee House, while Cameron himself was waiting in the outdoor part of the café. Between the three of them, they had decided it would be best if Cameron was the only one who Tasha should initially meet. If she was anywhere near as jumpy in person as Cameron had said she sounded on the phone, then seeing anyone else might cause her to scatter. Still, Mick had not wanted to send him in without some form of back up. As he also hoped to maybe get an idea of who was following Tasha, he and Beth had set up on opposite sides of the street. They were scanning the surrounding area, being extra alert for any signs of unusual activity.

They were all feeling a little anxious, especially Cameron. Perhaps understandably, they all sensed that if things went wrong here, than they might be in for an even longer battle. Beth and Mick were communicating via hidden microphones, and as 9:55am approached, Mick said to Beth, "Almost show time, Beth, be on the lookout. I don't know which direction Tasha will be coming from, so be alert. Remember; don't get to close to her. Let her meet Cameron before we make any sort of move."

"I know, Mick." Said Beth, "We're supposed to watch to make sure that the coast is clear for them, so that Cameron will have a chance to explain to her who we are. How do you want me to handle the pictures?" Beth had recently discovered that she had a gift for photography. She was trying to find a way to combine it with her journalistic endeavors, whilst at the same time using it to occasionally help Mick with his investigative work.

"Try to look for anyone who might be following her. You know the signs like I told you about. Hopefully, if we can get an idea of who is following Tasha, we can keep her safe enough to get her and Cameron out of town."

Beth glanced across the street where Cameron was sitting in the outdoor portion of the Coffee House. "Cameron is really trying to fit in, isn't he?" she commented, "He's not only drinking that coffee he ordered, he's also eating a croissant. I'm not sure if that's completely necessary."

"Especially considering that since his body can't digest it, he's only going to get rid of it later." Mick commented. As vampires couldn't digest human food, if by some rare accident they ingested it, it could cause some rather severe discomfort. The only way to for the food to exit the body was the same way that it had entered it. It was not a pleasant experience to say the least.

All of a sudden, Cameron froze. His eyes became focused on the corner of the street, a look that combined the extremes of anxiety and hope appeared on his face. "Hold on, Beth." Said Mick, "I think we may have a sighting with Cameron. Can you see her?"

Beth looked in the direction that Cameron was still focused on. "There, Mick, the African American in the red dress and green shoes. She's holding a brown purse."

"Okay, I see her too." Said Mick, who had caught sight of the lovely vampire who had been in Cameron's photograph. They were not close enough to scent if she was a vampire, but it was clear that while most people on the street were merely going about their daily business in a carefree manner, this woman was stressed and frightened. However, when she caught sight of Cameron, her whole manner changed. A smile appeared on her face, her eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace. But before she had gone more than twenty feet, she stopped abruptly. She took her phone from her purse, and looked it in confusion.

"Get ready, Beth." Said Mick, who could instantly tell that something was wrong. "I don't know who that might be calling her, but they could be close. Look for anyone who is using a cell phone."

"I'm on it." Said Beth.

Mick waited, tense and ready to spring forward at the slightest sign of danger to Tasha or Cameron. He had come this far, and he had no intention of allowing anyone too harm them, not when they were so close to finally being together.

* * *

Tasha Underwood had not stopped running. Ever since the harrowing accident in the desert five days previously, she had hardly been able to sleep or eat without fearing that someone might try to slice her head from her shoulders or burn her to ash.

Of course, this had not been the first time in her life that she had courted death. She had been cheating that state of being for nearly two years now. For the entire length of time which she been serving as a spy for what Stephen Dorsey had called the Phoenix League, she had known that at any moment she might very well have to cut and run. She had taken that risk. The mission which Stephen had given her had made her feel like her life had some sort of purpose again and that she had been given a chance to finally make up for all the pain and anguish that she had caused during her existence.

But then, Cameron had happened. It had been completely unexpected. She had never meant to fall in love, and never believed that she could be worthy of it. And yet, from the first Cameron had captured her heart with his gentleness and strength. He had never judged her, had always believed that she was deserving of a second chance. He had promised her a new life, one where she would not have to hide or run anymore.

After she had been discovered as a spy, however, Stephen had been adamant that trying to let Cameron in on the secret of what she was doing would be far too dangerous. She had not wanted to believe him, but when she had been attacked in her own apartment in Tennessee, only to be rescued by Stephen, she had known that she had to take his advice.

Ever since that time, she had been ferried quickly and silently across the nation by several different League agents, Stephen himself promising to lead her on the final stage of the journey. But then something had gone terribly wrong on that last leg. The car had blown up in the middle of the desert. She had managed to escape, to get to the buses at Victorville, and then to Los Angeles. She had known that she was supposed to go there if something went wrong. But she was not even sure if she could even trust the League to keep her safe now. Her only hope was too somehow meet Cameron and get the two of them far away from here until whoever was following her stopped looking.

She had managed to arrange yet another meeting place with Cameron. She had been half afraid that he would not answer her pleas after she had more or less run out on him with no explanation at all. And yet, he had been searching for her. Now, she was so close to her goal, she just needed to hold on a little bit longer.

The first moment that she had caught sight of Cameron, for a split second, all of her fears and worries fell away. She had felt as though everything would finally be all right, at last. The light at the end of the tunnel was almost in her reach. She had started forward to greet him, but then she had heard her phone ringing. She had gotten a burner phone; it was supposed to be untraceable. The only one who would have the resources to trace the number would be…

Fear and terror seized her once more. She almost dreaded having to answer the phone, and yet a part of her knew that she had to, or the consequences might be even worse. Trembling, she lifted the phone to her ear and said, "Hello, who is this?"

"You are an incredibly difficult person to track down, Tasha. Are you aware of that?"

Tasha felt relief first and foremost when she heard that familiar voice speaking on the other end of the line. He was a friend, or at least, someone that she knew did not mean her any danger. "You were the one who taught me, Stephen. Perhaps, you taught me to well."

"And yet, I still managed to find you. Just in time, as well. Are you aware of how much danger you are in right now, Tasha?"

"Of course, I am. I'm always in danger. That little debacle in the desert more than showed me that I don't have a chance with anyone but myself."

"Than why are you meeting your boyfriend in a public place, one that seems to be perfect for an ambush?"

Stephen had been her rock throughout the hardest times of the past two years. He had been there to protect and encourage her when she had been all but ready to give up. But she was still suffering from the shock of the assassination attempt in the desert. A part of her had lost all trust in the League to keep her safe. She had to get to Cameron; she could only be safe with Cameron. "You should have thought of that before I was nearly blown up in the middle of the desert. Where was your sixth sense of predicting ambushes then?"

"Tasha, listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me, Stephen. I can do this, not anymore. I am tired of running. I am going with Cameron and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You'll just have to find another pet witness." She hung up abruptly; she was almost afraid that if she let him continue to talk to her, he just might convince her otherwise.

She walked forward, resolved to the choice that she had made. For a moment, when her eyes first met those of Cameron, after such a long and difficult absence, it seemed all worth it. Cameron's entire face lit up when he saw her, and the look of love which she had feared she would never see again was in his eyes. She found herself smiling, the joy which he had taught her once again to feel warming her. She was certain that now, everything was going to be all right.

And then, all hell broke loose.

The barrage of gun shots started so suddenly that no one in the immediate area had any time to run for cover. Instant panic and chaos erupted in the street, as people instinctively dove or ran for any cover that they could find. Tasha found herself caught up in the flood; unable to go forward, she found herself lost in the midst of the press of people, slowly and inexorably being pulled away from him and into unknown danger.

As soon as the gun fire had started, Mick had snapped into full on protective mood. "Beth, where are you? I can't see you."

"I'm at four o' clock, Mick." Said Beth and Mick was stunned when he saw her running in the opposite direction of everyone else. She was going towards the gun fire.

"Beth, what are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"I know where the shots are coming from; I'm trying to get a better angle. If I can get a picture it might help us know who we're dealing with."

"Beth, if you get shot-"

"I won't. Go find Cameron; he's the one who needs your help right now. I'll be fine. Mick, trust me."

Even a year after having turned Beth, it was still a struggle for Mick to remember that he didn't need to watch her every move. She had more than proven herself over the past year and a half. He would have to trust her now. "All right, Beth. Once you've gotten all of the shots that you need, meet us back at the apartment. Do not stay any longer than you have to, you understand?"

"I hear you, Mick. See you soon."

Mick tore himself away from watching Beth, and hurried over to the café of the Coffee House. There were still people there, cowering under the tables and pinned down by the fire. It didn't take him long to locate Cameron, who had taken refuge between the outer wall of the building and an overturned table. "Cameron, are you all right?" Mick asked, once he got there.

Cameron had a trail of blood oozing out from a wound on his forehead, which was quickly starting to heal. "Yes, I think I'm fine. What's going on? Where's Tasha? Did you see her?"

"Yeah, I did. But I lost her once the shooting started. I don't know what's going on. All I can think of is that someone must have followed her here and now they're opening fire."

"We have to find her. She could be in danger."

"Cameron, we can't do that. Without any idea of where she is, we could be running in the opposite direction, and we wouldn't be any help to her. You won't be any good to her is you're dead."

Cameron's face showed the battle that was taking place in his soul. He knew that Mick was speaking the truth, and yet the instinct to protect the one he loved was very strong. In the end, he had to yield to Mick's greater experience and age. He would once again have to leave Tasha, however unwillingly to her fate.

As for Tasha herself, she had managed to break through the flood of people which had been pressing in upon her, only to be met with a rapid amount of gunfire that seemed to be aimed right at her. She hit the street, covering her head with her hands, trembling with terror. The old feelings she had experienced for so long as a blood slave and then as a gatherer came hurtling back to her. She felt small, helpless and victimized. She just wanted to curl up into a little ball and vanish. She was certain that she going to die.

But at this very moment, a shadow appeared above her, and she heard shots coming from that shadow. She chanced a glance upwards, and saw that Stephen was there, standing directly in the line of fire, shooting upwards in the direction where that first assault had come from. For just a few seconds, there was a reprieve and Stephen than turned to her. Without wasting any time, he reached down and grabbed her arm. "Get up, Tasha." He ordered, sternly, though with no sort of threat in his voice. "We have to hurry; I don't know how much longer we have."

Tasha did not question him. In the face of direct danger that she was in, all of her objections had faded. Instinct was now solely guiding her, and instinct was telling her that her best chance was to stay with Stephen. With him pushing her from behind, keeping himself in between her and the fire, while occasionally firing off shots behind him, they fled the scene of the rendezvous which had gone horribly wrong.

* * *

Well, that could have gone better, couldn't it? Of course, there couldn't be a happy ending this early in the story. For right now, please read and review.

Next chapter: Tasha is once again under the protection of the Phoenix League. But she has conditions this time, forcing Sebastien to reach out to his contacts in Las Vegas for information on how to begin this new aspect of his mission.


	9. Conditions

Conditions:

Tasha had still not recovered by the time they had reached the safe house. Sebastien had seen all these signs before through his career as an extractor and working with informants within the very heart of blood slavery rings. Tasha had been on the run for days, hardly stopping to drink or sleep. Now, she had come within mere inches of dying a third time in a very short amount of time. He was surprised that she was still able to basically function. It was just another sign of Tasha's inner strength, and that there was a lot more to her than first appearances might have been willing to show.

Tasha seemed to still be in a trance-like state when he helped her out of the car and ushered her into the living room of the safe house. He poured in a glass of blood and handed it to her. "Drink," he ordered sternly, though with a gentle tone of voice. "You look as though you could use it."

Despite herself, Tasha downed three glasses of blood before she felt herself up to speaking about what had happened at the Coffee House.

"How did you find me?" She finally asked.

"I wish that I could say it was solely due to my efforts. The truth is, there are several people who are looking for you, Tasha. I just let them pick up the trail, and deduced that you would be at the Coffee House today to try and find Cameron."

"You had no right to interfere." Said Tasha, though her objection felt a little forced. The last few days had drained her, and she really had no energy to fight or run anymore. "I would have gotten to home if you hadn't been there."

"We both know that's wrong. He would have been killed and you would have been in the clutches of people who would squeeze every last piece of information that they could from you before cutting your head off."

"You people haven't been protecting me all that well either." Tasha pointed out. "Just take what happened in the desert."

"I saw the reports, Tasha. Those agents gave their lives to protect you. They pushed you out of the car so that you would have a chance of survival. And here you are, alive."

Tasha opened her mouth to protest but found that she could not deny. She was alone and she was scared. She would have felt safe with Cameron, but the prospect of being reunited with him had just become more difficult. Cameron would be in danger if she attempted any sort of contact with him again. And despite all her experiences, the man who she called Stephen Dorsey was now her best chance at survival.

Sebastien could tell that she wasn't going to bolt. He had to make sure it stayed that way. "When I first met you, you told me that you wanted to make a difference, to somehow be able to reverse what you had done in the slavery ring. Now, you have a chance to do just that. Don't waste the one chance you have by running away."

Tasha was silent for several minutes, clearly between the two of extremes of fight and flight which were now pressing themselves upon her. Sebastien found himself counting the minutes anxiously, hoping that she would make the right choice. And finally, she did.

"I can't run, I'm tired of running. I want to help you bring down that guy you told me about, the one who is offering protection for other blood slavery rings across the globe. But I have conditions, this time."

"Name them."

"Actually, it's only just one: Cameron. He's been dragged into this mess, too. The assassins didn't know that I was involved with anyone, now they do. They'll go after him, and I can't allow that to happen. Guarantee his safety; allow him to come with me, and I'll do whatever you ask."

Sebastien nodded. "Done."

Tasha blinked, clearly surprised. "Really? Just like that, you're agreeing? I thought for sure you would fight me on this, considering how much you tried to do so before."

"It's a different game now. The rules have changed. It will be more difficult to get two people out as opposed to one, but I was getting bored with that idea anyway. It's nice to know that protecting you will actually prove to be a challenge."

Despite herself, Tasha smiled and even managed a laugh. Sebastien, it was true, put on many guises in his career as a League agent. Most often, he had to be cool and distant, looking at the situation from any emotional ties. But, he also possessed a remarkable ability to set people at ease. It was a talent that could come in handy, especially with skittish witnesses such as Tasha.

"You are exhausted, Tasha. Go upstairs, and get some sleep. I'll give you a full breakdown on how the security here works when you wake up."

"All right," said Tasha, as she got to her feet. She was already beginning to feel the exhaustion of the last few days creeping up on her. However, she was already beginning to feel safer than she had for a very long time. "Stephen, I don't know if I've ever said this, but thank you, for saying my life today, and for believing in me all those years ago. You gave me back my life."

As Tasha left him alone, Carlisle got out his phone and dialed the number which had been in the phone's memory ever since he had learned the identity of Tasha's lover. The voice on the line was female, belonging to a vampire by the name of Maria Ashoka. "Sebastien, I wish that I could say I was surprised. May I assume that Cameron has found his way to LA?"

"Yes, and he's managed to get himself tangled up in a bad way with my witness case."

"I was afraid that would happen." Said Maria, after a pause. "The way he spoke of her to Clayton and Deborah about this, I knew that he was serious about this girl. What's the situation like?"

"I have Tasha in protection for the moment. She will be safe, but she's set the condition of Cameron's safety and removal with her."

"How hard will that be?"

"I don't know. I pulled Tasha out of a hostile situation earlier this morning. Cameron witnessed it. He has some local help, pretty major from what I have been able to gather. If they saw me, I'm fairly certain that I could become a suspect. I'll have to be careful how I proceed. I have no doubt that they will look into my aliases and try to block them. Koston has that sort of clout. I might have to create new ones for myself, Cameron and Tasha should the need arise."

"How do you know that they saw you?"

"Shots were fired, and they weren't mine. Whoever is after Tasha managed to find out about the meeting place, and they also know about Cameron. If they find her, they might start targeting him as bait to lure her out."

"Do you have any suspects, any idea as to who it might be?"

Sebastien took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and running his hand over her eyes. "This is a high risk operation, Maria. Our main target has eyes and ears all over the place. He wouldn't send anyone but his top assassin for the job."

"You're suggesting Roxanne Clairmont?"

"Yes, I didn't get a clear shot, but I caught a faint trace of her scent, not to mention to attack at the café matches her MO."

"Sebastien, Clairmont was in Vegas a few months ago. Clayton and Deborah told me about her methods. She's clever and dangerous, if she knows that Cameron is involved with you witness, she might start casting further afield for targets. Should I call in extra security?"

"No, for right now, Roxanne will be focusing on her energy locally. Remain in Vegas, watch out for Clayton and Deborah and keep them apprised of the details."

"Sebastien, if it was Roxanne, do you think she would have been able to tell what Cameron was?

"Honestly, I don't know. Cameron had the advantage of distance, but Roxanne was a League agent before she went rogue. She's been trained to find those subtle differences. Whether or not she may have been good enough to tell from that distance, I don't even know I could tell you. But, don't worry. I give you my word that Cameron will be safe. I know the value of who he is and what he represents."

"I know that, Sebastien. I have often thought that you would make a find guardian, if the opportunity ever presented itself."

"Should I happen to ever find a bond pair that needs a guardian, I will put in a request. Until then, I'm quite happy working Intel. Goodbye, Maria, I'll keep you updated on the details."

"Thank you, Sebastien. Good luck."

Sebastien hung up. He wouldn't bother to call the Director. He knew that she would most likely reject the entire deal outright. He was on his own for this one, and it could very well take all of his expertise to get him out of this one.

* * *

Things are just starting heat up now, aren't they? If anyone is wondering, I am deliberately tying in a few well-known characters from previous Moonlight stories, but why I will not say. Also, I will say that Sebastien and our people are going to team up, but that won't be for awhile. I can't have a Moonlight story without some tension, and maybe a good scrap between Sebastien and Mick before this whole thing blows over. Besides, it seems that all good bromances, or things like them start with the two men beating the crap out of each other, doesn't it?

And on another fan girl moment, though I sometimes have trouble imagining actors for my characters, just because I think of them so specifically, for Sebastien, I am imagining Benedict Cumberbatch from the BBC's Sherlock, and Star Trek: Into Darkness. If you've never seen anything he's done, check it out! He's an amazing actor, and quite frankly, looks the part for a vampire. Anyway, that is all for right now. Please read and review.

Next chapter: our heroes begin to gather Intelligence on Sebastien Duvall, who has become their major suspect. But some things really aren't adding up. And Cameron continues to keep secrets of his own, even when he becomes a target.


	10. The Danger of Knowledge

Hey there, readers. Here is my latest chapter. Sorry that it was kind of a long update, first I was on vacation, than a power outage, than I got sick. I am feeling well enough to post. Hope that this chapter was worth the wait.

Again, some things about Cameron might seem a little strange on this chapter. I think that everyone might be aware that he might be keeping some pretty big secrets of his own.

The Danger of Knowledge:

It was all over the news that evening, a shoot out had occurred at the Coffee House Barista and Café. The scene had been one of total chaos, with shots seeming to come from every single direction, people scrambling to get undercover and the startled cried of the bystanders. No one had been severely injured and there were no reported deaths. The incident was attributed to gang warfare, a problem which had become particularly virulent in Los Angeles over the past few months, but it was the first that such violence had erupted in that past of the city. Understandably, it had shaken up the entire neighborhood to a sinister degree. Everyone was afraid that it might happen again.

For some high-placed vampires of the city, the implications of the events of that morning unleashed were incredibly serious. Josef's only relief was that there was no mention or hint that vampires were behind the violence of the café. Besides that, he was still seriously pissed off. This was only compounded when he went over to Mick's place that night to see what his friend had been able to put together.

"You saw who dragging Tasha away?" he demanded of Mick, when his friend had told him the whole story.

"It was Sebastien Duvall, Josef. I'm certain of it." Said Mick.

The two of them were in Mick's office. Josef was pacing the floor, obviously upset. Mick was cycling through the pictures he had hacked from the street cameras during the incident, hoping to find a better image of the shooters. "They were both smart, whoever the other one was. They both knew where the cameras were, and avoided them. I haven't been able to get a clear picture. I'm hoping that Beth might be able to piece something together with her lens."

"That little reporter of yours is turning into a regular Nancy Drew. You should be proud."

"Oh, I am, believe me." Mick's eyes were suddenly drawn to the computer screen in front of him. "Okay, we have him."

"You got his face on camera?" asked Josef, as he came around the edge of the desk.

Mick gestured to the screen. "Yeah, this looks to be about thirty seconds into the fire fight, after we lost sight of her."

The frozen image showed a man who was unmistakably Sebastien Duvall, his arm upraised to fire off a shot to the unseen person. The expression on his face was determined, set and angry. They also saw Tasha Underwood, being pushed in front of him. Tasha was frightened, and was throwing back a glance over her shoulder, as if trying to keep an eye on some threat. For a moment, Josef and Mick looked at the picture. Mick appeared thoughtful. "This doesn't make sense."

Josef looked at him. "What do you mean? It looks pretty cut and dry to me. Sebastien is dragging her away against her will. She's frightened of him and he's firing to make sure who ever else might be looking for her doesn't try to snatch up the prize."

"That's why I'm the detective, Josef, and you just write the checks."

Josef glared at Mick. "I do a lot more than that, Mick. Okay, give me your best Sherlock impression. What's really going on in that picture that I'm missing."

"Look, the way Tasha is holding her body. She's turned towards Sebastien, almost leaning into him. Not only that, but she's looking in the direction that he's shouting at. It indicates that she's likely more afraid of whoever's trying to kill them."

"So, she's less afraid of one captor, so what?"

"I'm not so sure about that either. Cameron told us that the blood slavers most likely want Tasha dead or alive. It's much easier to carry a head as proof of death than worrying about all the variables that comes with a live prisoner. But the way that he's holding himself in front of her, and based on the angle he's shooting at, he's directly placed himself in the line of fire. If the shooter had got them directly, Sebastien would have been the first to fall."

Josef allowed himself a moment to muse on this. He couldn't deny the logic in Mick's statements. "Okay, then, here's what I don't get. We've both met Sebastien, right? What was your initial impression of him?"

"That he was kind of a conceited idiot."

"Replace 'kind of' with 'wholly' and I'll agree with you. So, what's he doing rescuing damsels in distress?"

"I guess there's more to first impressions that might at first be thought."

"You think that he means Tasha any harm?"

Mick shook his head. "Josef, I'm not going to deny that this looks very suspicious. I don't like the Duvall's anymore than you do. But I suppose I also don't have to remind you what happened the last time we judged one of them out of hand. I think we need to get some info from Sebastien before we jump to any hasty conclusions."

Josef took a deep breath. "All right fine, I see your point. I really don't want another situation on our hands like Henri Duvall. Let's just hope that he's a bit more open to reason than his brother was. You think we should ask Carlisle first?"

"No, not yet. If Sebastien is here for anything besides a family visit, I doubt that Carlisle knows anything about it. I would rather not involve him until we know a few more details. I can have Logan track down Sebastien, even if he's under an alias like Stephen Dorsey."

"All right, you and Beth should probably go and talk to him without me. You're better at the charming interrogator."

"Yeah, you would probably scare him away."

At this point, Beth hurried into the room "Mick, Josef, I managed to piece together a face from the pictures I took. You need to see this." She handed Mick the picture. T was a face which they both recognized, even if it had only been snatches during a battle for their lives.

"Roxanne Clairmont." Said Josef, "Why am I not surprised she would be mixed up in this?"

"Wait, she's the one who was working with Diana and Ethan in Las Vegas? Asked Beth. At their nods, Beth's expression grew even more serious. "She's the same one who I saw with Benjamin Calvert when Coraline was here."

Mick and Josef exchanged glances. "Why would Calvert want to enlist the services of an assassin?" asked Mick, "You think that he has a personal tie in this blood slavery ring in Tennessee?"

"I wouldn't put it past him to be involved in something as slimy as blood slavery." Said Josef.

"But, we can't touch Calvert at the moment. We should focus on Clairmont and trying to find her along with Sebastien."

"Do you think that they're dangerous?" Beth asked.

"To each other, definitely." Said Josef, "From all this, we're obviously looking at some sort of bounty hunter war."

"And they're not shy about involving innocents in the crossfire." Said Mick.

"We should split resources." said Josef, "Karlie and I have more experience in the vampire underworld than you two do. Roxanne Clairmont seems to be highly connected with that element. You two should find out what you can about Sebastien."

"Good idea." Said Mick, "And we need to find one or the other of them. If we do, she'll be able to find Tasha that much faster and be able to ensure her safety."

"And I for one would like to know what they are doing in my city." Said Josef, "If either of you can find the aliases which they are traveling under, let me know. I have a few favors to call in; I'll get them blocked long enough for us to find them."

At this moment, Josef's cell phone rang. "Karlie, what is it?"

"Josef, you and Mick need to get down here to the hotel where Cameron is staying at. What you were afraid might happen has happened. Cameron has been attack by a bounty hunter."

* * *

After the attack that morning, Mick had been fairly certain that Cameron's identity as Tasha's boyfriend was no longer a secret. If that was the case, than Cameron was no longer safe. He needed to be watched, and soon. Karlie had agreed to take that first watch, and it seemed like the best solution. She was so good at calming people, and in his present situation, calm was something that Cameron desperately needed.

He was understandably shaken by the fact that he had been moments of reaching out to Tasha, and had watched as she had been torn away from him a second time. Actually witnessing the violent means had made the whole thing even worse.

"I just wish that I could have done something." Said Cameron, he paced back and forth the confines of the small room. "I should have done something. But I also know that there was nothing I could have done without getting killed. Now, she's out there, possibly in the hands of some mad man trying to get all the information he can out of her, using who knows what methods. I just feel so powerless. I don't know what to do."

All the strength seemed to fade from Cameron after this outburst. He collapsed on the bed, and buried his face in his hands. All the strength seemed to have been drained from him. The sadness and distress coming off of him was palpable.

"Cameron," said Karlie, soothingly, as she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her. Mick is the best Investigator I have ever known. When he sets his mind to finding someone or something, he always does."

Cameron took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I know, I know. I'll be honest; I never would have known what to do if you hadn't helped me. However this turns out, I just want you to know that I am grateful for your assistance."

"It was our pleasure. Even Josef, I think, is on broad with you now."

"Look," said Cameron, after a moment. "I need to get some blood. I drank the stock that I have a few hours ago, and I need to replace it."

"I could call some in for you." said Karlie, "That would probably be safer than trying to go out on your own."

"No." said Cameron, almost too quickly, before he seemed to catch himself and quickly amended, "I mean, thank you. But the truth is, I need some air, and I think I need some time alone. I learned from Mick that there's a blood storage facility only a few minutes from here. Driving there and back should only take me an hour. It's also in a well lit part of town, so I should be fine."

Karlie considered this for a moment, before nodding slowly. "All right. I know how it feels to be cooped up in one space during a crisis. But just be sure to go right there and back again. And be careful that you're not followed."

Cameron looked at her and smiled a little. He could sense that he was genuine concerned about him, and it was oddly touching to see her so concerned about someone that she hadn't even met a week ago. "You know, you would make someone n excellent mother."

Karlie laughed, a wistful look flashing in her eyes. "I wish, believe me."

Cameron left, and Karlie might not have thought no more of the matter. Except when she happened to find that in actuality, Cameron had had three extra blood packs in the refrigerator of his room. She found this a little puzzling. If Cameron had already had enough blood to last him at least through the rest of the night, why on earth had he felt a need to go out for more? Perhaps he had been so traumatized that he had simply forgotten. Whatever the reason, she did consider calling him, but at the same time decided to let it go. He must need some time to come to terms with what he had witnessed.

* * *

At Rudy's Diner and Grill, only a few blocks away from the hotel where Cameron was staying, someone was watching from the shadows, as he watched the young vampire exiting the restaurant. He had gone into the restaurant an hour before, and it seemed as though he had been pretending to blend into the general atmosphere by ordering and eating something. The restaurant was open 24 hours, but there was hardly anyone around this time of night. It would be easy enough for him to be taken.

Cameron was only a block or so from the restaurant, walking to where he had parked his rental car, when he felt the rapid approach of an enemy from one of the nearby alley ways. He reacted entirely on instinct, whirling around to the direction in which his attacker was coming. The bounty hunter who had been stalking him had thought, judging from what he had seen of Cameron that evening, that it would be a relatively easy matter of taking him down. But Cameron, though normally peaceful and non violent, had still been trained in the art of self defense. He had the advantage of being quick with his fists. He landed a left hook to the bounty hunter, before landing two blows to the bounty hunter's ribs.

Caught a bit off guard by the strength and speed of Cameron's attack, stumbled back just a few feet. However, he managed to recover himself. He withdrew a wooden stake, and slashed it at Cameron. He hissed as the weapon sliced open a thin wound in his chest, just barely missing his heart. However, Cameron absorbed the smell of the blood, allowing the pain to fuel his inner vampire. His eyes went silver and his fangs extended. He kicked out with his leg, swiping out the bounty hunter's feet out from under him.

The bounty hunter went down with a groan. Cameron was on top of him before he could recover a second time. He wrestled the stake from the vampire, and stabbed him downward into the heart. Cameron backed up a little, panting for breath. He felt a little relieved that he had managed to get something to eat before the fight. It had been too long since he had satisfied his human cravings. As his physiology required both blood and food in order to gain his maximum strength, it would have been difficult for him to get the better of this bounty hunter had the man attacked sooner.

He waited a moment, as his heart rate gradually began to slow to its regular rhythm, and he considered his options. He had a suspicion that this bounty hunter was one of the minor ones. No bounty hunter would have been so stupid as to allow himself to be bested by a target so quickly. Still, Cameron believed that he might be a source of information. He would have to call Karlie, and tell her what had happened. He had an unexpected guest that he was sure Josef and Mick would be eager to meet.

* * *

Nothing really to say for an ending author's note, except for the usual: Please read and review.

Next chapter: Mick and Josef interrogate this newest bounty hunter, and gain a bit of background information on the feud between Roxanne and Sebastien. It turns out to not only be professional, but personal as well.


	11. Interrogation

I am very excited that people are noticing that it's difficult to really tell which side Sebastien is on. I am deliberately creating his character with an aura of mystery, which will become clearer in some later chapters. Also, a lot of you have been stating that Cameron is not fully vampire. That's another thing I was hoping would be noticed. Some answers will be made clear as the story progresses. Be on the lookout for them. For now, here is a new chapter. Please enjoy!

Interrogation:

When Josef, Mick, and Beth arrived at the hotel room, it was to find the bounty hunter cuffed to a chair in Cameron's room, with Karlie and Cameron watching him like a hawk.

"What happened, Karlie?" Mick asked.

"This bounty hunter tried to get a shot at Cameron a few blocks down from the hotel." Said Karlie, "He didn't count on the fact that Cameron would be faster than him."

The bounty hunter squirmed a little under the hard gaze of Mick and Josef. The age in the room was clearly against him. "Why don't you ladies and Cameron step outside for a moment?" said Mick, "We have to question this guy and it could get ugly."

Karlie and Beth might have been as tough as their respective men when it came to most situations, but this time, they were not needed. Besides, Mick and Josef had more experience than they did when it came to these situations. So, they withdrew to leave them to the interrogation.

Both Mick and Josef wasted no time in beginning their questioning. "Now," said Mick, "I'm going to make this very simple for you. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to give me the answers. Who hired you?"

"Look, man, I didn't mean for this to get out of hand, honest." Said the bounty hunter.

"Which means, I'm sure, that you didn't intend to get caught." Said Mick, "Answer the question."

The bounty hunter shifted, clearly uneasy. "I don't know." Both Mick and Josef snorted in disbelief. "It's the truth, I don't. These high end jobs normally come through the wire anonymously. The people paying don't want anything to be traced back to them."

"I can't imagine why." Said Josef, sarcastically, "You may not know who hired you, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone else does. This score on Tasha Underwood is pretty big from what my sources have been telling me."

"Yeah, it is. It's not every day that a gatherer from a major blood slavery ring manages to elude her handlers. Naturally enough, that's frowned upon. She has to be made an example of."

"Don't you care about what she's running from?" Mick demanded, feeling himself beginning to grow angry over the bounty hunter's clearly uncaring attitude about Tasha's predicament. "Did it never occur to you that these slavery rings are preying on innocent humans?"

The bounty hunter shrugged. "Look, I'm not into politics. Whoever's paying the price, I don't think to ask questions."

Mick tensed and growled. Josef put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Easy, Mick don't try and reason with him, he won't listen. Focus on the case."

Mick forced himself to calm down, knowing that Josef was right. "So, there are more of you? How many do you know of?"

"Six that's run into. But there are a lot more, I'm sure. Actually, to tell you the truth, I'm the least of your concerns. I tried making a grab for Underwood a few days ago, and I got shot down. I only went for that boyfriend because I thought he would be easier to take down. I guess I was wrong."

"Who shot you down?" Mick asked.

"A vampire named Roxanne Clairmont. She's the one who you need to be worrying about. She's the most dangerous bounty hunter I've ever met, brilliant, ruthless and she won't stop at all when a job in on the line."

Josef and Mick exchanged glances. So, it was confirmed. Roxanne was in Los Angeles, and she was hunting. This wasn't good. However, if Roxanne was such a well-known figure in the vampire underworld, would there perhaps be some information that could be gleaned about Sebastien? "If you know Roxanne, at least by reputation, then do you know anything about a vampire who goes by the name of either Sebastien Duvall or Stephen Dorsey?"

There was a pause, as the bounty hunter appeared to be thinking. "I know the second name, but not the first. So, Stephen Dorsey is in town too, huh? Well, I guess that ends the hunt for rest of us."

"Why?" Mick asked, "What do you mean?"

"I know nothing for sure, but there are a lot of rumors about those two. They used to be lovers, you know. He's more than her match in every way."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. There was some sort of falling out as I understand it. I've heard that they both worked for some sort of international vampire organization, one that worked under a very exclusive set of rules. When Roxanne made the choice to defect and go her own way, Sebastien swore he would be the only one to bring her down. The two of them have been at each other's throats ever since."

"This organization," said Josef, who had been listening to this last part with keen interest. "What was it called? Did it have any sort of symbol attached to it"

The bounty hunter seemed to take a moment to consider this, before he said, "I think that it was supposed to be some sort of bird. But it really didn't look like one I recognized."

Josef drew back, a deeply troubled look on his face. Mick noted Josef's reaction. He could see that something about what the bounty hunter had said had struck a chord with Josef, but he didn't know what. However, before he could ask Josef about it, Josef seemed to shake it off, and turned back to the bounty hunter with a stern expression. "Tell me, do you think you can get a message to the rest of the bounty hunters?"

"Yeah, I think so. Word tends to travel fast in our little community."

"Then I want you to spread the word to the others that Roxanne and Stephen are in this city. Will that clear them out?"

The bounty hunter considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, that should be enough. Most cities where those two end up, it can end up a battleground, even if it's only by night. Of course, there's nothing in it for me. What price-"

Both Mick and Josef vamped out, roaring and showing their fangs. Mick grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him up to eye level. "I'll tell you what price, the price is that you get to walk out of here alive, instead of me tearing your head off."

"Mick," said Josef, "put him down. I think we've made our point." He turned his silver-eyed gaze on the bounty hunter, who paled considerably under the sheer weight in the Elder's gaze. "Haven't we?"

"Uh, yeah, right sure. No problem." Stuttered the bounty hunter, clearly terrified.

Josef leaned over and broke the cuffs from around the bounty hunter's wrists. "Get out of my sight." He growled, and the bounty hunter wasted no time in obeying.

After what he was well and truly gone, Mick turned to Josef. "What was that about, Josef? Why did you ask him if that organization Sebastien and Roxanne supposedly worked for had any special symbols? It must have been familiar to you."

"I don't know specifically, Mick. The way he described it seemed very familiar to me. But I can't say anything more until I know for certain." Mick could see that Josef wasn't going to be anymore forthcoming, and as his friend could be secretive under the best of circumstances, he decided to let it go, for now.

"So, what's our play now? Getting the rest of those bounty hunters out of here will certainly lighten up the competition and give us only two targets."

"Yeah, it will, and it might make the two of them go at it tooth and nail." Said Josef, "The last thing I need is a bloodbath. We need to draw them both out into the open somehow. We need to make them both desperate enough so that they will make a mistake."

"If we make it so they can't leave the city, than that should do the trick." Said Mick.

"In the meantime, I want to move Cameron over to my place." Said Josef, "The attack on him tonight proved that you were right. He's become a target, and I don't want anything happening to him."

Mick raised an eyebrow. "Boy, you sure changed your tune quickly. Just a few days ago, you weren't even sure of his motives."

Josef shrugged. "What can I say? He grows you, like a fungus. Kind of reminds me of you in that regard."

Mick merely rolled his eyes, as he got out his phone to tell Cameron about the new arrangement.

* * *

It would be a little later that night, once Cameron was safely asleep and Karlie was herself getting ready to turn in, that Josef managed to steal enough time to himself to make a discrete phone call.

"Hello, Frederich?... Yeah, I know its 3:00 in the afternoon in Germany. Yes, I know that any sensible vampire such as yourself is asleep at that hour. I need your help, well, your advice more than anything. I need you to tell me everything that you know about the Phoenix League."

* * *

Well, it seems that Josef just might have heard about this secretive vampire organization. Of course, just how much he is willing to let on is another matter.

And a brief update on Moonlight Over Paradise. I probably will not be continuing that story until this one is completed. I am knee deep in some other projects right now, plus with work and school, I need to prioritize. I will be deleting the one which is currently up, since in my revisions and planning of the story, it changed somewhat drastically and I won't be able to rewrite it with the draft I have up right now. However, please do not panic. I am planning on posting this Hawaii Five 0/Moonlight crossover. However, it just needs some more work. Thank you all so much for you understanding and support.

For right now, however, please read and review.


	12. Drastic Measures

I am so sorry for the rather obvious lack of updates. Real life invaded my life, and I just had too much to do in terms of homework to devote any time to my writing. Hopefully, the updates will be a little more regular.

Drastic Measures:

Over the next few days, Mick and Josef researched extensively on Roxanne Clairmont and Sebastien Duvall. But the time they met up at Josef's office, they had some very interesting revelations to make.

They had both confirmed the story which had been told to them by the bounty hunter. It appeared that Roxanne and Sebastien had been more or less on the same side up until the 1970's. Something had happened which had driven them in opposite directions.

"These two are obsessed with each other." Said Mick, "As far as I can tell they have some sort of personal vendetta which they will stop at nothing to satisfy. I honestly don't know whether they want to get back together or kill each other."

"Ok, am I the only one getting some bad déjà vu?" Mick gave Josef a questioning look, "You know you and Coraline." When Mick's confused expression changed to an accusatory glare, he held up his hands in a placating manner. "Hey, I'm just saying."

"Can we skip the emotionally charged discussion about my past and just focus on the details? What did you learn about Roxanne?"

"Just like we suspected back in Las Vegas, when we first encountered her." Josef hit a button on his keyboard, and the screens in his office, which normally showed the ever changing state of the world's financial market, now showed information about Roxanne. "She is an assassin, but not just any regular vampire killer for hire. She has a wide range of skills and had taken out both vampire and human targets."

Mick looked over the information. There were details on some of the kills which Roxanne was suspected of taking, and they all seemed to have one thing in common. "She seems to be very selective in what jobs she takes." He observed, "She only takes the most challenging."

"You got it, buddy. The price she demands often matches the difficulty of the kill. I can't say that surprises me. If you happen to have a gift for killing and you live forever, you'd get bored just taking the same old Joe Schmos. Up until about fifteen years ago, however, none of her kills seemed to follow any sort of pattern beyond that." A screen popped up that showed a list of Roxanne's kills in recent months and years. "All of the names on those lists, Mick, are what used to be some of the most high profile vampires in the world. Some of them were Elders, which made an election a necessity in those areas."

"What difference does that make?" Mick asked, "Sometimes the world of vampire politics can be very cloak and dagger. You can't tell me that you haven't eliminated targets that you thought stood in the way of getting more power for yourself."

Josef smirked, a look that Mick had seen many times, and one that confirmed his words without actually saying it. Despite the fact that they were best friends, and were essentially family now, there were still some things that Mick did not approve of when it came to Josef's lifestyle. Josef was far more liberal when it came to matters of morality. Even though he didn't kill people merely for the sake of it, he still indulged his predatory side a lot more than Mick was sometimes comfortable with. He had long ago accepted that was something he couldn't change about Josef; he had simply learned to accept it. It was an unspoken agreement between them that they didn't speak of it.

"Maybe, Mick. At the same time, I have never been stupid enough to kill an established Elder merely for the sake of usurping his place. Those things are hard to cover up, and the community doesn't look kindly on it. What seems strange to me is that Roxanne, in theory, was the only one who could have killed any of these people, but she's been caught or linked directly to any of them."

"But what would Roxanne stand to gain from killing Elders? She never got any of the power herself, and even if she was never caught, you'd think that someone would have managed to catch on sooner or later."

"What bothers me is that there is no consistency." Said Josef, "I know for a fact that some of these Elders are mortal enemies, only keeping from descending into war because of the laws of the tribe. Yet, it doesn't seem to matter to her who she works for."

"Maybe she's playing both sides. She must not have a political agenda."

"I hope that you're right. Because the other possibility is one that I don't want to contemplate."

"Oh, no, I sense a conspiracy theory coming."

"It just seems to me that it could be possible that Roxanne is working for someone even bigger than herself, that maybe there is one organization that is trying to maneuver more power for itself and is using her to do it."

Mick stared at Josef. "Can you prove that?"

Josef shook his head. "No. Neither can any of my sources."

"Than take me advice, Josef. Stick to the concrete for now. Can we trace whoever might be paying her? That might give us some clue as to where she is headed."

"I doubt it. Her bank accounts are untraceable. That just shows that she has some pretty powerful backing. This is something else I don't understand. Most blood slavery rings have their own security take care of a breech like this. They wouldn't go to the extra expense to hire an assassin like Roxanne, and I highly doubt that Tasha falls under her list of challenging prey. I'm beginning to wonder if Tasha might have done something more to catch the attention of whoever is hiring Roxanne." He looked at Mick. "What about Sebastien? What did you dig up on him?"

"The biggest thing is that he is a slippery one. He has at least three air tight aliases, which he has been using over the past century. He's something of a drifter. He has no regular base of operations. He never stays in one city for very long. But, just like with Roxanne, there just might be a method to his madness. During the times when Roxanne has been most active, their paths tend to cross." He pushed a few buttons on his own end of the keyboard. On the screens, the locations where the two of them had been active at the same time appeared.

"This is when there seems to be a pattern for Sebastien. Take Nashville for instance. For the past two years, he's been staying in two or three cities in and around Nashville. This is repeated in states like South Dakota and Minnesota. In Nashville, though, I think that he's been keeping an eye on Tasha's proceedings. However, unlike Roxanne, Sebastien hasn't left a trail of bodies behind him. In fact, there are no reports of any killings that could be traced back to him."

"I highly doubt that he never killed anyone."

"I'm certain that he did, at least a few times. But it seems that he only resorts to violence when he has no other choice."

"Well, let's hope that we can get to them before this lover's feud leads to anymore deaths in my city. My people have managed to block their credit cards, so it will be difficult for them to leave the city at any time. Now, if we can focus on where they are staying, maybe we can narrow this down."

* * *

Beth didn't suspect that she was in any sort of danger when she stepped off of the elevator to the apartment loft. She had been around the past few hours, scoping out a few places where Sebastien Duvall might have been staying. She should have enjoyed it more, as it reminded her of her work at Buzzwire and a civilian investigator. However, it had yielded no results. No one who she had talked to at the hotels recognized the picture of Sebastien that she had shown them. If he was still in town, he wasn't staying in any of the fancier places.

She took a quick moment to text Mick about her findings before she went to the fridge to get some blood. She didn't know that she wasn't alone. Not until she closed the door to the fridge and saw the reflection of the woman standing behind her. She gasped in shock and took a step back, uncertain if she had just imagined it.

"So, you're lover seems to think that by drinking that morgue-bought blood he can deny who he truly is." Beth whirled around, and sure enough, there was Roxanne Clairmont standing in front of her. "Denial is so unattractive, and ultimately, so vain."

Beth was completely stunned. She knew that Roxanne had not been standing in the apartment ten seconds ago. In fact, she had smelled no one. She opened her mouth to speak, but Roxanne waved her off. "Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. How did I manage to get in here without you smelling me? I would ordinarily love to engage in some clichéd banter, but I simply don't have time for that. I know that you have incriminating evidence against me, and I also know that you plan on stopping me by preventing the use of my credit cards. Unfortunately, that's going to work. I have dozens of aliases that you, with all your efforts, would never be able to find. However, I do have one question for you: where is Tasha Underwood?"

When Beth heard this, she was a little puzzled. Nonetheless, she knew that she needed to be firm. "I don't know where Tasha is."

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" said Roxanne, with a slightly cold laugh.

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. Maybe you should ask Sebastien. He's the one who stole her right away from under your nose. He certainly hasn't told me where he might be hiding her."

Roxanne stared at for a very long moment. "You really don't know, do you? Well, this is certainly a surprise. I would have thought that Sebastien would have made use of you and St. John."

"What makes you think that?" Beth asked, hoping that Roxanne might inadvertently reveal something that they could use.

"Let's just say that Sebastien often sticks to the rules, but he has no qualms about bending them on occasion. There is so much at stake here; I would have thought that he would have turned to some local help." Roxanne suddenly drew her gun. She pointed it at Beth, and said, "It's a pity that you won't be able to meet him."

Beth made her move. She dodged and tried coming at Roxanne from different angle. She had been expecting that Roxanne would be more advanced in combat than she was, but even she was stunned by how swiftly Roxanne was able to counter her move. She seemed to move even faster than a normal vampire should have been able to. When Beth tried striking her, Roxanne was able to effortlessly block it. When she kicked out, she grabbed the leg and pushed her back. Beth lost her balance and fell to the floor.

However, before Roxanne could make another move, she was suddenly knocked off balance by an unseen force. Beth received her second surprise of the evening when she recognized who her rescuer was: Sebastien Duvall. He was the last person that Beth would have expected to be her savior. Especially since neither Roxanne nor Beth had even smelled him coming.

Roxanne managed to regain her balance, and whirled around to face Sebastien, her eyes silvered and her fangs extended.

"Duvall, I wish that I could say I was surprised."

Sebastien returned the aggression, keeping himself firmly in between Beth and Roxanne. "And yet you came anyway. Now, I suggest that you leave before you wear out your welcome anymore."

Roxanne laughed mockingly. "Oh, you always were a soft one, Duvall."

"Maybe so, but there is just something about a highly trained assassin like you, killing a vampire who doesn't stand a chance, that sits wrong with me. I'm just going to have to stop you."

With a roar, he leapt at Roxanne, who was more than ready for his assault. Beth, having recovered herself at the far end of the room, witnessed a battle that took her breath away. She had thought that she had seen seasoned vampire fighters going at it in battles where life and death were the odds on the line. But this was entirely different. She saw two opponents who were a perfect match for the other. The way in which they fought was precise. They wasted no energy in their blows, and almost seemed to be attuned to each other, anticipating and blocking the others attacks mere fractions of a second before they fell.

They both had their own distinct styles. Roxanne was a whirlwind of motion, moving so fast, that she could not follow her combinations of punches and kicks, even with her improved vampire sight. Sebastien was calm and poised, using the slightest movement to either dodge or attack. Yet, it seemed to her that neither of them was winning.

For several seconds, Beth could hardly tear her eyes away from the confrontation. It was hypnotic. But she suddenly realized that she needed to use this respite in order to find some sort of weapon that she could use to defend herself. She already knew that Roxanne would not hesitate to kill her. She didn't know Sebastien's motives, but she couldn't run the risk that if he managed to get the better of Roxanne, he would try to come after her.

She scurried over to the bookcase, which had several hidden compartments behind the books, weapons that were specifically designed to repel vampires. She flung the books on the shelf aside and ripped open the door, grabbing a gun, and a magazine of silver ammunition. She loaded it quickly, and waited.

Both Roxanne and Sebastien new that they would not be able to win. They knew each other to well, and there was too much history between them. They would have to rely on other methods to get them out of this alive. Roxanne suddenly kicked Sebastien hard in the stomach, forcing him back a few steps. She used the time when he was regaining his balance to take out the gun which she had in the back of her jeans. She and and let loose two slugs into Sebastien's abdomen. Sebastien growled in pain, but was unable to prevent Roxanne from slipping past him and into the hallway. He heard the elevator opening and closing. He mentally counted his blessings that she had not attempted to get into the office. The reason for that became apparent when he heard Beth's determined voice behind him.

"Put her hands up. Turn around slowly."

So, she had somehow managed to get a gun. If he had managed to, he might have laughed. She was a little spitfire. But, he was not about to surrender. Long years of ignoring the pain of even the worst of injuries, he managed to get to his feet and pulled out his own weapon. Turning to face Beth, he said, "Miss Turner, put the gun down. Let me do what I came here to do."

"Which entails erasing all of the data that we have on you, which might prevent us from finding Tasha in time? Give me one good reason why I should?"

"Miss Turner, you have no idea what you and your family are dealing with."

"Neither do you. Whether or you not you want us to, we will find Tasha before you can do anything to her."

"I have no intention of hurting Tasha. If you try to interfere, you will be putting her in even greater danger."

Beth uncocked the gun and said, dangerously, "You can tell it to Mick and Josef. You might be putting on a brave face, but I know that you can't handle one more shot of silver."

Sebastien mimicked Beth's action. His face was desperate, and it would only occur to Beth until later that his next words were tinged with regret, as though he were pleading with her to not make it necessary for him to do this. "You have given me no choice, Miss Turner. I'm sorry."

Beth never heard a gun shot. This struck her as strange, until she felt the numbness which was starting in her thigh and moving at an unnaturally fast rate throughout the rest of her body. Before she could react, she felt her legs give out underneath her, and she collapsed to the floor. She glanced down at her thigh, seeing something that looked like a syringe needle imbedded in the muscle.

She tried to struggle and get to her feet, but before she knew it, Sebastien was kneeling over her, taking the gun from her now nerveless grasp with one hand and using the other to push her down into a sitting position. "Hold still, Miss Turner. Do not make this anymore difficult on yourself then it needs to be. The poison will wear off in fifteen minutes. I know that you will try to find me and Roxanne; my advice, do not try. You are all becoming entangled with affairs that are larger than you can possibly know. Do not try and stop me, for you will not succeed."

The words he spoke were given with no hint of anger. Though clearly meant to be a warning, it also wasn't a threat. It struck Beth as odd, and even odder that he had not killed her and made no attempt even to stake or hurt her further. His message delivered, he merely rose to his feet and went to Mick's office. His hand was clutched over the wound in his abdomen, and it was clear that he was in a great deal of pain. Nonetheless, she heard him working at Mick's computer, erasing the data that they had on him and then exiting the apartment through the hallway elevator.

Fifteen minutes later, Beth began to feel the sensations returning to her extremities. Despite being a little stiff, she seemed to have recovered completely. She wasted no time in scrambling for her phone and calling Mick's number. As Mick has told her not to call unless there was an emergency, he picked up almost immediately. "Beth, what's the matter? Are you all right?"

"Mick, yeah, I'm fine. But you had better get over here right away. Bring Josef and Karlie. Roxanne and Sebastien were just here. You need to hear what happened."

* * *

Please read and review.

Next chapter: Some of the secrets behind the Phoenix League and Sebastien's personal involvement in it are revealed.


	13. Split Perpsectives

**I have noticed in some of the reviews I got for the last chapter noticed that Sebastien is not the most clear cut kind of guy. That is actually what I am trying to go for. Sebastien, as we will learn from this and future stories, is very smart and has a lot of secrets. Is he a good guy or a bad guy, or is he operating somewhere in between with his own agenda? I kind of wanted to set him up as sort of an equal to Mick in terms of his skills. He might be a rival or an ally, depending on the situation. To be quite honest, it would be a little boring if Mick and the rest didn't have some sort of competition, right?**

**Anyway, in this chapter, we learn a lot more about Where Sebastien is coming from in terms of why he is in Los Angeles, and the mysterious organization that he works for, The Phoenix League.**

Split Perspectives:

Understandably, Mick was not pleased with the assault on his domain. When he, Josef and Karlie arrived at the loft, it was to find Beth shaken, but unhurt, and the information which they had managed to gather on Roxanne and Sebastien erased. He did not blame Beth at all for not being able to stop Sebastien. She honestly had not been able to smell either of them; otherwise she would have been warned. Even when the others got there, they were not able to smell any lingering odors which might have triggered memories.

It was a worrying situation, as it reminded them to much of the time that Henri had used something similar for his assault on Los Angeles. That affair had ended only after great damage had already been done, and had come narrowly close to avoiding a vampire war.

As Mick wanted to make certain that there was no lingering effects from whatever Sebastien had used to incapacitate Beth, Carlisle came over and he needed to be informed of the circumstances. His reaction was nothing short of shock. "Sebastien was here in this apartment tonight, engaged in a fight with another vampire and shot you, Beth?"

"What? That doesn't sound like something he would do?" questioned Josef.

"No, of course not. I mean, Sebastien has always been, well, as he was when he first met you and Mick. He can be arrogant, but I've never known him to be violent. To be quite honest, I sometimes wondered if he even knew how to defend himself. He had never been a hero, but he has also never been one to play the villain."

"Well, believe me, he knew something about fighting tonight." Said Beth, "You should have seen these two going at each other. They moved so fast, and they were so skilled, even for vampires. It was unlike anything I have ever seen."

Josef looked thoughtful, and Karlie, noticing this, said, "All right, Josef, spit it out."

"What? Spit out what?"

"Whatever it is that this whole situation is reminding you of. I can clearly see that it's stirred something in your memory. You might as well fill us in on the rest of it."

"You know me to well, my dear. Yes, this whole thing with cloak and dagger spy stuff had gotten me thinking the past few days. It first started when we interrogating the bounty hunter. Remember, Mick, he said that both Roxanne and Sebastien worked for a special agency?"

"Yeah, it seemed to make you remember something, but you weren't very forthcoming at the time."

"That's because I didn't want to say anything until I was sure of what we're dealing with."

"And what are we dealing with exactly?"

"I don't think that I need to be present for this conversation." Said Carlisle.

"Yes, probably for the best." Said Josef, "I want you to know that I don't blame you for any of this, Carlisle."

"Thank you, Josef. I can see no ill effects from your little adventure tonight, Beth. Just be sure to get some freezer time tonight."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

When Carlisle left, Mick turned to Josef. "Okay, what's going on?"

"It's complicated, Mick. But I'm fairly certain that we're dealing with the Phoenix League." Blank expressions greeted this statement. "Like I said, it's a long story.

* * *

When Carlisle returned home, his pet dog Felix was there, as always, to greet him. "Felix, boy, how are you?" Carlisle asked him, as he bent down to pet him. But instead of responding with his usual wagging tail and lolling tongue, Felix was tense and whining. "Felix, what's the matter?"

Felix, of course, couldn't answer, but another voice did. "I think I might be setting him off."

Carlisle's eyes widened and he rose to his feet, the very moment that the lights in the room flickered on, and there sat Sebastien, blood seeping from a wound in his abdomen, he smiled sheepishly at Carlisle. "You'll have to forgive me dropping in on you like this. I didn't think after the events of tonight, the usual routes of vampire healing would be open to me."

"Sebastien," said Carlisle, "What are you doing here? I couldn't smell when I came here."

Sebastien got to his feet, but pain and blood loss caused him to stumble over his own feet. Luckily, Carlisle caught him before he tumbled to the floor. "I wish I could answer you, Carlisle. I'll try to do that as soon as the room stops spinning."

Despite himself, Carlisle rolled his eyes. "You will be telling me everything, Sebastien, just as soon as I get you cleaned up."

* * *

"Start from the beginning, Josef." Said Karlie, as they all sat down in Mick's living room. "You were up all night talking with Frederich last night. You didn't even come to the freezer until mid-morning."

Josef looked at her. "How did you know I was talking to Frederich?"

"I'm your wife, Josef. I am supposed to know things that you think I don't know."

"Is that supposed to be a logical argument?"

"Josef," said Mick, hoping to prevent a battle of quips between Josef and Karlie. "Please, stay on topic."

"Ok, ok, buddy, but you'd better be prepared for a little foray into vampire history."

"Oh, yay." Muttered Mick.

"Ignore him, Josef." Said Beth, "I'm interested."

"Of course, you are." Said Josef, "You're a young and eager vampire. Well, to start properly, you may or may not know that until about the late 1400's, vampire society was as fractured and fragmented as human. In fact, a lot of the wars were fought, were covered for vampire factions trying to gain more power. Vampires realized that they needed to keep our existence a secret from humans, but they were divided as to what that secrecy meant. The rise of the Renaissance and more advanced thinking changed that.

"I won't go into all the political ins and outs, but several prominent and powerful vampire leaders got together and decided upon a universal code of laws, that all of them could live with. This, in our history, was the first Conclave."

"Conclave?" questioned Mick.

"A Conclave is a meeting of Elders from a specific global region." Said Karlie, "Some of them can encompass an entire continent."

"Why haven't I heard of them before?" asked Mick.

"Because full scale Conclaves like the ones Karlie described are quite rare." Said Josef, "Elders stay in touch with each other; we have to keep each other up to date on potential threats. But I am talking about laws that all vampires have to abide by. That Conclave made it possible for there to be peace, a peace which has lasted to this day."

"Did they make the rules about not turning children and turning people against their will?" Beth asked, Josef nodded. "In that case, how are vampires like Coraline even alive?"

"The rules they agreed on are something between guidelines and laws. From Elder to Elder, they can vary in interpretation. It's not a perfect system, Beth, even I'll admit that, but its kept vampires strong, united, and protected for over seven centuries, from threats both from vampire and human."

* * *

Carlisle had just finished treating Sebastien's abdominal wound. He had to dig deep to find the bullets, and Sebastien winced and cursed more than a few times. However, eventually he was healing up. "I would advise you to stay off your feet for a few days until you get your strength back." He said, as Sebastien drowned his second glass of blood.

His brother shook his head, his voice still a little tight from the pain. "Afraid I can't do that, Carlisle. I have other responsibilities right now that I need to take care of."

Carlisle sighed deeply and put away his surgical equipment. "Sebastien, what is going on? You attacked the home of Mick St. John, injured his mate and made off with evidence in an important case, one that concerns you in questionable activities I might add. You think that you haven't become the most wanted vampire in the city, right now?"

"Your exaggerating, Carlisle. It's not that serious."

"Not that-" Carlisle flustered, anger suddenly flaring at Sebastien's flippant attitude. He grabbed hold of his brother's shoulders and forced him to look at him. "Damn it, Sebastien! Can you not be serious for once? Your life could be in danger. I want to help you, but I can't unless you give me something to go on. Now, tell me why you're really here in Los Angeles and what you've done with Tasha Underwood?"

For a long, tense moment, Sebastien did not reply. Carlisle despaired that he would ever be able to get through to him. However, he saw a serious expression appear on his face. "Carlisle, listen to me very carefully. I can't tell you everything, and what I can, you have to promise not to speak of."

"Sebastien, what are you doing?"

After a long a moment, Sebastien took a deep breath and rolled up the sleeve on his right arm. Carlisle saw, tattooed in gold, the sign of a Phoenix rising from it's grave, with words in Latin circling the sign. "What is that?"

"It is the symbol of the Phoenix League." Said Sebastien. At Carlisle's questioning look, he explained in more detail. "The vampire FBI and CIA all rolled into one. We're a highly secretive society, operating world wide in order to assure that vampire society is free from strife and inner wrangling that could lead to war. The work we do in this present day and age is even more important. The times when we could hide our conflicts in the shadows in the human wars is now long gone."

* * *

"And what does this Phoenix League have to do with the Conclave?" said Mick, "I assume that the two are connected somehow."

"They are. The second Conclave was called when various pockets of resistance made it difficult to keep the peace. It was decided that a more permanent society needed to be developed, one that would have means to travel between Elder territories and enforce justice for greater security. Thus, the Phoenix League was born."

All eyes stared at Josef for several seconds, not quite sure that they had hear right. "You're telling me that for the past 500 years, there has been a secret society of vampires running around the word?" questioned Mick.

"Yep, that's pretty much it."

Mick shook his head. "If they're stationed all over the world, how come I've never heard of them?"

"They're a highly secretive organization, Mick. They need to be in order to do their jobs."

"So, how come you know about them?" Beth asked.

"Elders are informed of their existence when they come to power. We are to promise not interfere if we find out that one of their agents is making an investigation in our city; we can observe, but they have power of immunity. They don't have to come to us for permission to do anything, and they aren't necessarily bound by regular rules."

"If they're tasked to keep the peace, Sebastien was doing a pretty lousy job." Growled Mick, "He broke into my home, shot Beth, and erased everything that we had on him."

"Mick, as much as I hate to say it, by Sebastien's view, he didn't do anything wrong. You'll notice that he didn't kill Beth. That makes me think that he doesn't have the authority to kill on sight."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The Phoenix League agents may not be bound by the regional laws which Elders enforce. That does not, however, make them completely immune. The rules which individual agents follow are strict. Those who break them can face a lot of flack."

* * *

Carlisle stared at Sebastien in complete shock. Never, in all his centuries, had he heard his brother speak like this. He had never once assumed that Sebastien would care about these sorts of issues. And yet, the conviction with which he spoke, the inner fire that came to his eyes, spoke of a cherished mission that he had dedicated his life to. He could not question if he was lying. Carlisle more than saw the truth of it in Sebastien's face. He was certain that this Phoenix League, which he had never heard of, existed and that Sebastien was giving him the simplest of explanations as to its true purpose.

"So, all these decades, you have been playing the fool, arrogant and empty-headed, lying to the family, for what, Sebastien, for what?"

Sebastien growled and got to his feet. "Why are you angry? You act like I have betrayed you. I haven't. All I've ever done has been to protect vampires (our family included), from threats not even they could know about. Do you think that every vampire in the world is as stable you, Carlisle, or Koston or St. John? Even some members of our family, though they may look upon humans as nothing more than fodder, know that vampires most live in secret. There are many that do not think that, who believe that they are masters, and will do everything in their power to ensure that everyone knows it."

"And that gives you the right to attack and kidnap vampires like Tasha Underwood who are trying to escape from those threats?" Demand Carlisle, "To attack other vampires and invade their homes like you did tonight?"

"St. John forced my hand." Said Sebastien, "He was making it impossible for me to leave this city with Tasha. And as for Miss Turner, I must say that she was the one who threatened me first. You will notice also that I didn't kill her, nor did I intend to. I am not authorized to kill other vampires who are in the line of fire."

"So the solution that was in the vial?"

"A paralyzing agent derived by our scientists as a temporary weapon, something we can use that will allow us to make a get away without causing any harm. There are no lasting effects once it wears off."

"And how were able to cover your scent? Henri managed to do that with garlic compounds."

"You think he was the only one to find that mixture, or something similar?"

"Sebastien, I'm willing to believe you on all this, but what about Tasha? You still have said nothing about where she is, or what you intend to do with her."

"I certainly have no intention of hurting her if that's what you mean. In fact, I'm protecting her from those who want to kill her."

* * *

"This is all fascinating." Said Beth, "But that still doesn't answer the major question. What do we do about Sebastien and Roxanne? Obviously those two mean trouble, no matter what side they're on."

"If Sebastien is a League Agent, I don't know what I can do." Josef admitted with a great deal of reluctance.

"Josef, since when do you back down from a challenge?" Mick demanded.

"Mick, I don't like this anymore than you do, but there's nothing I can do. Elders have lost their positions if they tried to stop an Agent in their city."

"We can't just let them run rampant." Said Mick.

"Might I suggest a very simple solution which no one seems to have yet thought of?" Karlie asked, having remained silent after all this time.

"What?" asked Josef.

"That we simply ask Sebastien whether or not he is a League Agent." Three pairs of eyes stared back at her blankly. "Oh, don't look at me like that. It makes sense. We know that Roxanne is dangerous. Her actions here, as well as in Vegas, clearly show that. She doesn't care who she has to get rid of in order to achieve her goals. However, it seems that Sebastien has a conscious. You told me that he seemed reluctant to shoot you with that tranquilizer, Beth. He even told you that its effects weren't permanent. If we can find out his true affiliations, maybe we could reason with him."

"And if he is a Phoenix agent, and he refuses our help?' said Josef.

"Than at least we'll know either way where everyone stands. But it seems to me that we shouldn't go off planning half-brained schemes before we have all the facts."

Josef put his arm around Karlie's waist and drew her close. "As always, sweetheart, you have provided answer to chaos with unlooked for wisdom. I think that's actually the best plan." He glanced over at Mick and Beth. "What do you think?"

Mick growled sullenly, but Beth put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Mick, Karlie does have a point, you know it."

"Fine, but I don't have to like it. The only problem is how are we going to find him? He may not have hurt you, Beth. But it was pretty clear he wasn't exactly interested in talking. We also haven't managed to find any sort of location for either of them. They've been setting up dummy reservations in nearly every hotel in the city. None of them are leading us to where they might really be."

"What about Carlisle?" said Beth, "Surely he must have some way to contact him? Whatever else you can say for the Duvall clan, they tend to keep pretty close tabs on each other. Perhaps Sebastien would be willing to get up a meeting if the request came through him."

"Good idea, Beth." Said Josef, "This is the best plan we could come up with, but I still want some sort of back up. Were you able to salvage any information?"

"I have to admit that if Sebastien is a spy, than he does the job pretty well. I can give it a try, but I don't know how much information I'll be able to retrieve on my end."

Beth grinned. "They didn't think in the bathroom, Mick. I have a back-up flash drive in our usual place."

Mick's bad mood seemed to immediately evaporate. He beamed with pride as he planted a kiss on Beth's cheek. "My clever, brilliant Beth. No vampire would even think that you would have a box of tampons lying around the bathroom."

Josef stared at Mick in obvious confusion. "Tampons?"

"Long story." Said Mick, "But basic psychology. People always hide their valuables in the last place you would think to look. That being said, I don't think it would be a good idea to try and block them again." Said Mick, "We can't have another incident like the one we had tonight."

"We can still keep eyes on them." Said Josef. "Tasha might be safe for the moment, I don't think Sebastien intends to kill her, or he would have done so by now. I begin to wonder if he may not be waiting for something else altogether."

* * *

Carlisle rubbed his eyes. All of this was starting to give him a headache, a not uncommon occurrence when dealing with members of his family. "You had better start at the beginning."

"Two years ago, I met Tasha in Nashville. She was a Gatherer in one of the largest blood slavery rings in the United States. She had access to some their tightest secrets, including their major buyers and protectors. A month ago, her cover was blown. I've been protecting her ever since. I was supposed to get her to a safe location, but other events have forced me to rethink my strategies." He looked at Carlisle and said, "I know that you think highly of the vampires that you have come to settle with. And from what I have seen, they have the best of intentions, but if anyone besides myself tries to help Tasha get out of here, it will only result in putting her in greater danger."

"If the threat against her is as serious as you say, why haven't you left with her already?"

Sebastien laughed humorlessly. "Tasha is more stubborn than you might think. After Cameron became a target, she has refused to leave without him. Now, I not only have to arrange for her safety, but for his as well."

"And just how are you planning on accomplishing this? I'm sure that Cameron doesn't trust you anymore than the others. And now that he is under the protection of Josef, you'll have an even more difficult time of contacting him."

Sebastien sighed and sat back down. "Believe me, of that I am painfully aware. Even more so because I have no plan. It's not a state of affairs that I'm used to."

Carlisle stared long and hard at Sebastien, trying to come to terms with everything that he had heard. Finally, he said, "Maybe you're giving yourself too many rivals. You should consider asking Koston and St. John for their help."

Sebastien's head snapped up to look at his brother, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What?"

"Sebastien, from what you've told me, the goals of all parties involved are the same, you want to keep Tasha safe. Is it not wiser to pool resources rather than trying to battle against each other?"

"Carlisle, there are things at work here larger than any of us, things I can't tell even you, and that go far beyond even what is happening here. Koston, as I'm sure we both know well, hates not knowing all the details, though he loves to keep his own secrets. Even if I could approach him without getting my head cut off, he would start asking questions that I can't answer, and we would be right back where we are now."

"Not if I speak for you." said Carlisle, "I can go to Josef and tell him what you have told me. He is an Elder for a reason, Sebastien. He is not stupid. He'll see the sense of working with you, rather than against you, especially if Karlie can be made to see it first." Seeing that Sebastien still seemed doubtful, he asked, pointedly, "Do you have any better ideas?"

"No, Sebastien admitted, after a moment. "And time is not a luxury I have. Very well, go to Josef. However, on one condition. Whether or not, Koston agrees to help me, I will still be getting Tasha and Cameron away from her. Could you get a message to Cameron for me, asking him to meet me?"

Carlisle sighed and nodded reluctantly. He knew that Sebastien would not agree until he allied himself with his own demands. "Very well, but I cannot guarantee that Cameron will meet with you even if I ask."

"Than it will be my problem to deal with."

Carlisle knew that was the best he could hope for with Sebastien. "Very well, I'll try to get in touch with him as soon as I can. As for you, you should try to keep a low profile. Keep drinking the blood, and get some time in the freezer."

"I won't have any problem following those orders." Said Sebastien, as he got to his feet. "Thank you for listening. I know that it must be difficult for you. I know that I'm not the easiest brother to live with."

"You might not be. But, if half of what you told me is true, it would not be prudent to ignore you."

* * *

**Well, we now have a lot more information on Sebastien and who he works for? But, whether or not it will be enough to form some sort of truce, that is another matter entirely. Please read and review. I always enjoy hearing what my readers think.**


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